Día de los Inocentes
by Prince Izzy X
Summary: On a faithful day, Otto and Twister receive letters from their secret admirers. Meanwhile, Sam must avoid the evil intentions of his most hated rival. Who sent the letters? Can Sam survive? [Twiggie [Twister x Reggie] …What?.?.?]
1. Of Memories and Explosions

Disclaimer: Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me. Only myself and my fan characters. This goes for the whole fic. And if by some weird twist of fate, this fic breaks any of this site's childish and unfair rules, **_please do the courteous thing and tell me in a review what I did wrong_.** If it doesn't ruin the artistic quality of the fic, I'll fix it **_ASAP_**. I'm usually on all day. **_At least give me a chance to fix the problem before reporting me_.**

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Pre-story Conversation

The scene opened in the Rocket Power fan village, a remote settlement outside Ocean Shores. The town was separated from the home of the RP cast by a great mountain that had giant statues of Otto, Reggie, Sam, and Twister built into the side. Numerous studios were on the outskirts of the village while several buildings took up the rest of the space.

It seemed to be an average day. Various authors and their fan characters walked along the sidewalks, running errands and trying to get to where they had to go. Others entered and exited the different stores and businesses. In the park in the center of town, people and their characters ran around, either playing games with each other, relaxing, or enjoying the fresh air, trying to think up of new ideas.

Nearby buildings had giant screens built into the sides. They displayed different programs: news reports, the latest gossip, who hates who, who likes who, that sort of thing. They also showed different commercials and scenes from different fics and RP related products. Otto pulling off a vast array of tricks was shown in one monitor while Lars taunting the kids was seen in another. And some displayed Twister and Reggie looking at each other longingly.

On one screen in particular, the two lovebirds in question were coming in for a slow, sweet kiss with a sunset as the background. Before they can lock lips, the screen, as well as all others in the village, switched to an anchorperson who was sitting behind a desk.

"_We're sorry for the interruption, but we have a breaking news story. We take you live to the Temple where the bronze member of the Big Three, Prince Izzy, has an important announcement to make._"

The monitors then switched to the top of the mountain separating the village from the rest of the world. At the peak was a grand building that resembled the temples of Ancient Greece. It was at least three stories tall and as wide as a city block. It was made entirely from marble and concrete. The camera focused on the double doors in front. They were at least twenty feet tall. They were made from gold and jewels. The Rocket Power emblem was in the center of the doors. Of course, it was golden too. A stage was set up in front of the doors. A podium was in the middle of it. Several news crews were standing in front of the stage, ready to take pictures.

Soon, a flourish of trumpets was heard as the golden doors creaked open. The cameras started flashing and clicking as I walked along the red carpet leading out of the temple and up to the stage. I was wearing a black shirt, a pair of blue shorts, dirty sneakers, and a black cape. A gold crown weighed down my dark hair as I continued on. I was being followed by my fan characters, Izzy and Iggy, also known as the Lopez Brothers.

As I reached the podium, the two siblings stood waiting at the back of the stage. Waiting for the cameras to stop flashing, I cleared my throat, preparing to speak.

"_My fellow Rocket Power fans,_" I started, talking into the mic. "_I have an important announcement to make. I will no longer write slash fics._"

Izzy, Iggy, and the camera crew, as well as everybody in town gasped in shock at that. I allowed my words to hang in the air for a few moments before continuing.

"_Yes, you heard right. I'll never pair up two guys ever again. Instead, I will concentrate on a totally different pairing._"

Everybody gave a hushed breath as the cameras did a close-up on my face.

"_Twister/Reggie._"

Everyone, especially the Lopez Brothers, did a double take at this. The camera crews, authors, and fan characters muttered comments at this turn of events.

"He's actually gonna write for something he said he _hates_? I don't buy it." One person said.

"Wow! He's gonna stop writing slash fics? Cool!" Another cheered.

"It's about time if ya ask me! Those fics made me sick to my stomach!" A third remarked.

"He must be lying!" A fourth mentioned.

The chatter continued for quite some time before I held my hand up, silencing the news crews, as well as seemingly the whole village. The echoes of the townspeople's comments were no longer heard from the top of the mountain.

"_I now know that many people will **never** write slash fics, let alone appreciate the ones I've written. Also, I'll never get as many reviews as those who have written Reggie/Twister fics, so I give up. Let it be known that on April first, 2005, I, Prince Izzy, shall never write another slash fic for as long as I live. In fact, I shall delete all of my slash fics so that the fandom will no longer be tainted by them. I want to join the winning side and actually **gain** respect (and hopefully more reviews) from you, the fans._"

"This is a nightmare come true!" Iggy moaned, holding his head in agony.

"This is a dream come true!" Izzy cheered with a massive grin on his face.

"_I shall begin my reform with this fic. I'll pair up the two lovebirds in the most spectacular romance fic I've ever written!_" I could already hear cheers echoing from down below as I paused. "_This fic will also feature the pairing of Otto/Clio. In it, Otto and Twister receive letters from their secret admirers on a faithful April day. Meanwhile, Izzy tries (keyword: **tries**) to bully Sam. Will love blossom? Will everyone's favorite blond survive? Read to find out!_"

I turned to walk away before remembering something.

"_Oh by the way, I wanted to thank mike2000 for giving me this idea. I couldn't have done this without ya, man!_" I gave the camera a thumbs-up. "_One last thing, I would like to apologize for any and all discomfort I may have caused you all when I wrote those slash fics. Thank you._"

I bowed at the camera before returning to the temple with a crestfallen Iggy and a joyous Izzy. All of the monitors in the village faded to black as the fic started playing.

(A/N: If you're confused about this whole fan village business, read the pre and post chapter conversations of chapters 11, 13, 14, and 15 of Rocket Heroes.)

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Día de los Inocentes

Chapter One

Of Memories and Explosions

We open this tale at the cul-de-sac where everybody's favorite group of skaters calls home. It was a warm spring evening. It was also very clear. You could see the moon and the stars sparkle in the sky like diamonds of the highest quality. The crickets and owls sang their songs, creating a soothing lullaby of peace. Considering what time it was, everybody was asleep.

Ahhhhhh… What a beautiful night…**FOR EVIL!.!.!**

"PAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" A laugh of great mischief was heard.

It seemed that one person was still awake.

Lightning struck as the camera panned towards the Rodriguez household, where that heinous chortle came from. There was only one light on. The lit room was a bedroom by the looks of it.

The bed was messily made. The walls were decorated with posters of different music and sports stars. The door had a dartboard on it. Stuck to it was a picture of a certain redheaded skater in sunglasses. Stuck to the picture were several darts. Slingshots, stink bombs, spitball launchers, itching powder, fake vomit, and other manners of prank supplies littered the floor.

A figure dressed in a purple shirt sat hunched over a desk. A reading lamp, the only source of light, provided illumination for the being of darkness. A calendar hanging near the desk displayed the current date.

_Thursday, March 31st_

"PAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" The one in the gray hat cackled again as lightning struck outside his window.

Thunder rumbled as the writing implement clasped in his right hand moved with great speed. It was just a blur as its owner made it dance a mumbo of mischief and debauchery. A sort of crazed and cunning dance that only one as evil and dark as him can choreograph. The utensil paused as it owner grabbed a new sheet of paper. He snickered evilly as the instrument once again danced along the paper. Its malicious movements soon came to an end as it was placed on the desk.

Lightning struck for the third time as the writer held two pieces of paper up to the lamp and inspected his work. He gave a dark and twisted sneer as he threw his head back and laughed yet again.

"Oh man! This'll be the greatest prank in the history of Ocean Shores! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!"

"LARS! KEEP IT DOWN!.!.!" An older male's voice roared, causing the brunet to put on a look of fear. He shook his head as he put on his mischievous glower.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" He snickered to himself. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces tomorrow! This'll be perfect!"

Thunder exploded in the skies above as the master of evil slipped the two sheets of paper into two different envelopes. He sealed them with the utmost care and scribbled two names on them. He sniggered as he stuffed the two vessels of evil into his book bag of even more evil. He then put in more instruments of torture and despair. After all, tomorrow _is_ his favorite holiday. He must be prepared!

"Nobody will forget tomorrow! It'll be in the history books forever!" The dark brunet gave a final, malevolent laugh before climbing into bed. "I can't wait to prank those dorks!"

Lightning struck and thunder clashed as the page in the calendar fell, revealing the date that everyone in Ocean Shores feared. That day of darkness, despair, evil, and lots and lots of pranks. The one day that Lars Rodriguez, the king of mischief, adored above all others.

_Friday, April 1st_

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It was a beautiful Friday morning in Ocean Shores, California! The sun was shining brightly, making the ocean sparkle like sapphires. Everybody was getting ready to start their day. It seemed like a normal, average—

"NO!.!.! DON'T MAKE ME GO!.!.!"

…So much for normal…

"Come on, Sammy! You gotta go!"

"NO!.!.! NOT TODAY! DON'T DO THIS TO ME!.!.!"

The voices belonged to none other than Reggie Rocket and Sam Dullard. The purple haired girl was seventeen years old. She was about five and a half feet tall. She had a gorgeous tan that was complemented not only by her hair, which has grown down past her shoulders in recent years, but by the red-violet shirt and camouflage pants she was wearing. She was also wearing a pair of red shoes on her feet and a pair of red rimmed sunglasses on her head. She was a junior.

She was currently dragging her best friend, who was scrambling to get away, by his feet. The bespectacled sixteen year-old was five feet tall. He had an average tan and a slim build, no doubt from his many years of skating, surfing, snowboarding, etc, etc. The boy's sandy hair has grown from the buzz cut he used to have to a small bush. He was wearing an orange shirt that looked too big for him. You were barely able to see his jeans. Finally, he was wearing a pair of blue sneakers. Like Reggie, he was a junior, despite his age.

"Man, Squid, what's the matter with ya?"

"Yeah! Since when were _you_ afraid of going to school?"

The owner of the first voice was Otto Rocket. Like Sam and the owner of the other voice, he was sixteen. He was a few inches taller than Sam. He had a reddish, cinnamon-like tan. His auburn dreadlocks have grown too big for his green headband and now reside on the sides of his head. He wore a pair of green tinted sunglasses. He wore a yellow shirt, burgundy shorts, and basketball sneakers. He was a sophomore.

The final voice that requires an introduction belonged to Twister Rodriguez. He was just a couple of inches shorter than Reggie. He was wearing a brown and yellow stripped kangol over his orange hair. A small bit of it stuck out from under it the center in the form of a cowlick. Of course, in recent years, his hair has grown down the sides of his head. He had a tan that was somewhere between Otto and Sam's in terms of darkness. He was wearing a blue tank top over a light blue t-shirt and baggy green shorts, as well as a pair of white trainers. Like his best friend, he was a sophomore.

The group of four friends was currently on their way to school, but it seemed that one of them didn't want to go (at least more so than the other members).

"Come on, Squid! As much as I hate going, we have to go." Otto said, walking forward again.

"But I can't go!" Sam wailed, having been pulled from a mailbox. "Don't you know what today is!.?"

"Uhhh… Friday?" Twister asked. The others sweatdropped.

"Yes…" Sam rolled his eyes. "But what about the _date_?"

"Date? Who's going on a date?"

Otto and Reggie fell over.

"Today's April first, Twist." Reggie clarified as she, Otto, and Sam stood up.

"So?" The redhead asked confusedly. The others slapped their foreheads.

"It's April Fools Day!.!.!" They roared.

"Ohhhhhhh…" Twister nodded. "So _that's_ why Lars was laughing all last night…"

"Oh great…" Otto groaned, turning to Sam. "Now I see why you're so bent outta shape, Squid."

"It's not Lars I'm worried about!" The blond shouted, quivering. "It's…" His eyes shifted suspiciously. "_him_…"

Lightning struck above our heroes' heads. It was ignored though as the others raised their eyebrows at Sam.

"Uhhh…_him_?" Reggie asked.

Sam nodded. "_Him._"

Lightning struck again.

"_Him?_" Otto asked weirdly.

"_Him._" Growled the blond.

Thunder clashed as lightning struck yet again.

"…Wait, who are we talking about again?" Twister asked.

Sam fell over.

"He has plagued me since I started high school." He started, standing up again. "Every April Fools Day for the last two years has been horrible because of _him_."

Thunder rumbled as he began his flashback.

_It was two years ago. A happy and carefree freshman named Sam Dullard was walking towards the hallowed place of learning with his best friend Reggie Rocket, also a freshman. They were chatting jokily about a hockey game they and their friends, Otto and Twister had against Lars and the Lasers. It seemed like a lovely spring morning._

_Oh how wrong they were._

_As soon as the blond reached the foot of the stairs, the ground caved in under him, causing him to fall a good twenty feet into the earth._

_"HA HA HA!.!.!" An evil voice sneered. "APRIL FOOLS!.!.!"_

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_Later that day, Sam, covered in soot, was limping through the halls of Ocean Shores High when a dark and sinister presence crossed his path. The figure extended his hand towards his fellow freshman._

_"Oh hey there. I just wanted to apologize for this morning. I didn't intend for ya to get hurt."_

_Sam gave the figure a wary look. He knew to beware of the malicious one in front of him. …But the sincere look on the boy's face told him that he should trust his words. Cautiously, he extended his own hand and shook the other's._

_°BZZZZZZZZZTPT!.!.!°_

_"April fools, sucka!" The evil one roared with laughter as the blond got shocked by his hand buzzer._

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"And let's not forget last year."

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_It was one year ago on the same date. Sophomores Sam and Reggie, along with Otto and Twister, who were freshmen, were standing in front of the school. Remembering his mishap from last year, the blond ran at the stairs and jumped. He cleared the foot of the stairs and landed on a couple of steps. It was bit shaky, but he managed to stay on his feet. _

_He sighed with relief as his friends, looking at him strangely, joined him. The blond smiled, knowing that nothing was going to go wrong today!_

_Needless to say, he was wrong._

_As soon as he stepped inside, the doors slammed shut, separating him from his friends. The clicking he heard seconds after confirmed that he was locked inside. He could hear the banging and pleas of his friends, but there was nothing they could do. Fearful, Sam looked around, but the hallway was empty. He slowly walked forward in a faint attempt to search for help._

_°SPLAT!°_

_"Augh!" He blurted. He had just gotten hit on the right side of his face with a pie. Sam brought a finger and slid it through the blue filling. He then brought it to his lips and tasted._

_"Hmmmm… Blueberry." He said, licking his lips._

_°SPLAT!°_

_Now the left side of his face was hit. He applied his finger to the yellow filling and took a taste._

_"Lemon meringue. Delicious!"_

_He continued tasting for a few moments before his eyes widened in pure fear. A custard pie was heading in his direction! He turned to his left to run, but he noticed an apple pie was heading his way! He turned again and started in the opposite direction, but skidded to a stop when he saw a chicken pot pie flying towards him! _

_He looked around for any way to run, but soon saw there was no way out! He kept looking around for a few seconds before stopping and facing the camera._

_"Why?" He whimpered._

_°SUPER SPLAT TIMES THREE!.!.!°_

_"April fools, ya sap!.!.!" A familiar evil shouted, laughing teasingly. He then pressed a button on the remote he was carrying, granting entrance into the school again._

_"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!" All the students roared with laughter upon seeing a mound of different frostings and fillings wearing glasses. There was even a cherry on top._

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"I still have the burns from that chicken pot pie." Sam groaned, finishing his recollection.

"Come on, Sam. Things'll be different this year." Reggie offered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah Squid!" Otto added. "The principal busted on that kook last year, remember?"

"And they're making sure nobody's pranks go too far."

"I guess…" Sam sighed, walking again. The others followed.

"I still don't know who we're talking about…" Twister said, scratching his head.

"Ugh!" Everybody else groaned.

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Later, the quartet was standing in front of the six hour prison known as Ocean Shores High. Already it seemed like pranks were in motion. Tons of people were covered with shaving cream, chocolate, and other such substances.

"Heh, just like that time at Mad Town, remember?" Reggie commented, slapping a hand on Sam and Otto's shoulders. The boys in question glowered at her before moving forward.

"Hmmm… I guess there's nothing to worry about then." The blond said, walking up the stairs.

"See? I told you everything would be fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Reg."

"Come on." Twister said. "Let's get moving already."

As the group of friends moved towards the building, lightning stuck (sensing a common element yet? P), for evil was brewing on the other side of the door they were heading towards.

"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.! This is without a doubt my best idea yet!" A dark voice gloated. "There's no way Blondie will survive _this_ one! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!"

The owner of the voice was none other than Izzy Lopez, Sam's self-proclaimed rival. Like Reggie, he was seventeen and a junior. He was close to six feet tall and had a dark tan. He was wearing a purple short-sleeved shirt over a pair of black jean shorts. He also sported a red vest. He was wearing a blue bucket hat over his short cut black hair and a pair of red and white running shoes. He crossed his arms as he watched another boy put the finishing touches on his latest contraption.

"Bro, are you sure we can do this? I mean, didn't the principal say not to do anything huge?"

The one working was Izzy's little brother, Iggy Lopez. He was fifteen and a freshman. He was a few inches shy of five feet tall. Unlike his brother, he had a light tan. Like Izzy, however, he had black hair. The difference was that his hair was all over the place. It barely stayed under his purple plumber's cap, which had a purple I in the middle of a white circle. He was wearing a red shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers that had the same pattern as his brother's shoes.

Currently, the younger brunet was working on what seemed to be a small catapult. It was made out of wood. The mechanism that was to be used to launch had a large bucket (read, garbage can). The piece of wood the can was tied to was bent backwards and held in place by a rope. Large metal wheels were placed on each corner of the device. The catapult was set up about twenty or so feet to the right of the main entrance.

"Pfft! Like I care about what that tub of lard says!" Izzy scoffed. He then nodded. "Alright. It looks like we got everything set up. Go get the…big surprise. GWAHAHAHAHA!.!.!"

"Ok, big bro!" Iggy said cheerfully as he stood.

He ran around the nearby corner. He returned a few moments later, dragging a bag full of what seemed to be firecrackers of different shapes and sizes. There were mainly your average, everyday candle-sized ones, but also more destructive ones like cherry bombs. The elder brother gave a malicious chortle as he watched his brother struggle with the explosives.

"Heh, that blond twit will certainly get a _blast_ outta this." He snickered at the pun.

"Oh _please…_" Iggy muttered, sweatdropping. Izzy, never missing a beat, glowered at him.

"Just for that, _you_ get to load the catapult."

"Oh like _you_ were gonna do it?"

"Oh don't worry." Izzy smirked. "I got _my_ load of the work right here."

His smirk became even more sinister than usual when he reached into his vest and pulled out a round black object. It had what appeared to be two feet (both of which were wearing a pair of Reebok sneakers), a pair of white eyes painted into it, a key like those you'd find on wind up toys, and a fuse on top. Iggy gasped when he realized what it was.

"Is _that_ a…" He gulped frightfully. "**BOB-OMB!.?.!**"

Izzy gave a laugh that would clearly register an eleven on the evil villain scale.

"That's right. Got it imported from Japan." He answered, tossing it up and down. "You like?"

"_Like!.?.!_ That's going way too far! Don't you know that—" The shorter one sighed lovingly. "—Reggie…always walks in with him, not to mention those other two guys!.?"

The taller brother caught the explosive in mid-air.

"Duh! Of course I know that! First of all, they have no business hanging around with _him_ on April Fools Day! They could get hurt. And second…" He gave an irritated sigh. "You _are_ aware that you have no chance with her, right? I mean, she's _way_ outta your league, not to mention that she's _older_ than you. You'd have better luck beating me in Super Smash Brothers Melee than you do getting a date with her!"

Iggy gave him a nasty glare as he started loading the firecrackers into the garbage can.

"Hmph! Well why don't _you_ try to get with her!.?" He retorted.

"Pfft! Like I'd have a chance with her! You know her type; strong-willed, able-bodied, good-looking, hot; doesn't give _real_ men like me a second glance. Instead, she'd rather fawn over guys like the football team's quarterback, Trent."

Izzy shuddered as he watched the New Zealander in question walk by with a bunch of girls squealing after him. He turned back to Iggy.

"If there's one thing I hate more than Blondie, it's guys that can get any girl they want with just a flick of their long, luxurious hair. Hmph!" He crossed his arms. "What a load of bull."

"Whatever…" Iggy sighed, stuffing the last of the firecrackers into the can. "Hey, have you ever noticed that Reggie always seems to look at—"

"Yeah right!" The elder Lopez interrupted, walking up to the catapult. "You think she likes _him_?.! Of all the people to fall in love with, she picks _him_? He's a complete idiot!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know he's dumb. It's a miracle he even made it this far." The smaller boy humored, rolling his eyes. "But ya gotta admit, they look kinda cute together." He wiped his hands on his pants. He then grinned. "Wouldn't it be something if they got married someday, bro!.?.!"

Izzy gagged. "_Please!_ I'll believe _that_ when I see it! In any case…" He grinned, bringing the bob-omb into view again. "Let's get this show on the road. Here's the plan: You light the firecrackers. The extra long fuses I bought should give us enough time to wait for Blondie. Once that's taken care of, I'll wind up the bob-omb and put it right on top of the secondary launcher."

He gestured to a second, miniature catapult that was set up next to the garbage can.

"Then, I'll keep lookout. As soon as I see Blondie walk inside, I'll give the signal and you launch the firecrackers. If everything goes well, the bob-omb should be launched a few seconds later. While he's dancing around, trying to avoid the smaller explosions, he'll get hit by the coup-de-grace and be sent flying sky high! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!.!"

"But Reggie won't get hurt, right?" Iggy asked. "I don't want my darling Reggie-Poo to get blown up." He sighed, clasping his hands together.

Izzy sweatdropped. "Don't worry. She won't be harmed at all." He humored, sighing. He put on an evil look as he clenched a fist. "Now get ready!"

"Right!" The younger brother saluted.

Meanwhile, across the hall, another sinister force was lying in wait.

"Pahahahahahaha!.!.! This'll be perfect!" Lars Rodriguez, Twister's older brother, laughed as he watched his minions work. "They won't know what hit 'em! Ahahahahahahahaha!.!.!"

Lars and the Lasers were eighteen. All of them, with the exception of Animal, were seniors. The fourth member of the group was merely a freshman. Pi and Animal were putting the finishing touches on a catapult similar in design to the one the Lopez Brothers were preparing to use.

"Man, where's Sputz with that ammo!.?" Lars grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Hey, what's with the catapult?" Pi asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "What about that other—MMPH!.?.!"

"Keep your trap shut, ya dork!" The leader shouted, removing his hand from his subordinate's mouth. "Nobody's supposed to know what I'm planning! You're lucky I decided to let _you_ lame-os into it! Anyway, this is supposed to be a diversion. After this prank, those little twerps will think that I won't have any more tricks up my sleeve so they won't suspect anything. Got it!.?"

"G-got it…" The rounder boy nodded, nervously.

Lars tapped his foot impatiently. "Where the hell is—"

He was cut off by a string of nonsensical blabbering, followed by a voice that said, "Here." Lars turned and faced the final member of his gang, Sputz. The redhead was dragging a garbage can full of what looked like balloons. They weren't ordinary balloons, however…

"Sputz! It's about time!" The brunet said. He then pointed to the catapult. "Load 'em! And hurry up! Rocket Dork will be here any minute!"

Pi and Sputz grabbed the can and grunted as they struggled to hook it up to the main launching mechanism. As the king of darkness watched them toil, Animal walked up to him.

"Hey, what _is_ the plan, anyway?" He asked dully. Lars rolled his eyes as he turned to the freshman.

"Alright, _for the **last** time_, here's the plan. Pi and Sputz are loading water balloons into the catapult. When they're done, I'll add my special treat."

He snickered as he pulled out a circular, yellow object that had a fuse on top. It had a cute and cuddly face painted on the side. The most noticeable feature of the object was the ears that were placed on either side of the fuse, as well as the red cheeks painted on the face. Animal gave the explosive a quizzical look.

"This is a bombpikachu." Lars answered his unasked question. "When the fuse is burned up, it'll shock the victim with electricity before blowing up a few seconds later! PAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!"

(A/N: For those who've never played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Lars' bomb is a play on words involving the bombchu weapon, which is a bomb that's shaped like a mouse.)

"I'll put the bomb on the second catapult. When I give you, Pi, and Sputz the signal, you'll launch the water balloons at Rocket Dork and my dorky brother. They'll get hit by the balloons. A few seconds after that, the bombpikachu will be fired. When it lands, it'll give those little twerps the shock of a lifetime before blowing them both sky high! This'll be my, Pi, and Sputz's last April Fools Day in this school. We gotta go out with a _bang_! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!"

The quartet gave a long and loud laugh before getting back to work. After several minutes of working and snickering, the catapult was all set to be fired. After checking it to make sure that his goons didn't mess anything up, Lars lit the bombpikachu and loaded it onto the second catapult.

"Now all we gotta do is wait for the pigeons to arrive." The brunet said, rubbing his hands evilly. He turned to his gang. "You three wait over there. I'll tell ya when to fire."

"Got it." They chorused as their leader walked around to the side of the weapon. He gave a curious look when he saw Izzy standing watch by his catapult. The brunet in the blue hat also gave the one in the gray hat a strange look.

'_Hmmm… Must be trying to prank **him**._' They both thought. Lars was referring to Sam in his thoughts while Izzy was thinking of Otto in his own.

Just then, the doors opened and Otto, Twister, Sam, and Reggie walked right into the line of fire!

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!" Izzy laughed malevolently. The quartet turned towards him and gasped upon seeing the catapult. The brunet pointed at Sam. "FIRE!.!.!"

"Roger!" Iggy cheered, pulling the rope he was holding. The catapult launched, firing the lit firecrackers.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!" The group screamed, running in the opposite direction. They skidded to a stop when they noticed Lars' contraption.

"PAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.! PULL!.!.!" He ordered, pointing at Otto. The Lasers grunted as they pulled the rope until the catapult launched the water balloons at them.

"TURN AROUND!.!.!" Otto shouted.

The quartet turned around and ran the other way. They immediately stopped when they noticed the firecrackers coming closer and closer.

"BACK THE OTHER WAY!.!.!" Reggie commanded.

They ran in the other direction when they noticed the water balloons closing in!

"Quick! The door!" Twister said, turning towards the main entrance.

"Oh no ya don't!" Izzy yelled, grabbing a remote control out of his pocket. He pressed a button on it, slamming the doors shut. "GWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.! You're trapped now!"

"Oh no!.!.!" Sam shrieked as Twister rejoined them. All four of them looked around frantically. In mere seconds they were going to be hit by the sets of projectiles.

"Whadda we do!.? We're gonna get soaked AND blown up!.!.!" Twister added frightfully.

"I know what to do!" Otto shouted, nodding at Reggie, who nodded back.

"DUCK!.!.!" They both roared, pushing their friends down onto the floor. Otto dived with Sam while Reggie brought Twister down.

The water balloons and firecrackers passed each other over the Rocket crew's heads, MUCH to the surprise of Izzy and Lars.

"WHAT—" Lars started, looking at the explosives in fright.

"THE—" Izzy supplied, looking at the balloons in terror.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!" Both Iggy and the rest of the Lasers screamed, noticing the approaching plight.

Soon they were hit.

The Lopez Brothers hopped around trying to avoid the balloons, but to no avail. They managed to dodge most of them, but ultimately…

°SUPER SPLASH!°

"UGH!.!.!" Both siblings groaned disgustedly, dripping water all over them.

The Lasers were in similar trouble. They too danced to evade the firecrackers, but eventually…

°SUPER BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!°

"Ugh…" The quartet moaned, coughing up smoke. They were blackened from head to toe.

Right at that moment, the bombpikachu was fired, as well as the bob-omb. They sailed right over the Rocket crew.

"…Is it safe?" Sam asked, looking up.

"Yeah, Sammy." Reggie sighed as she stood up. "It's safe."

"But not for them!" Twister said, looking at the Lasers.

"Neither for them! Look!" Otto called, pointing at the Lopez Brothers. Both Sam and Reggie turned to the groups in question.

"Big bro! I'm all wet!.!.! WAAAAAAHHHHH!.!.!" Iggy cried, throwing his head back. Two waterfalls of tears fell out of his eyes.

Izzy, however, was growling angrily as he clenched both fists in front of him.

"My beautiful plan, ruined…" He snarled. He then pointed at Sam. "Blondie! When I get my hands on you, you won't live long enough to…!" He trailed off as he noticed the yellow object spinning towards him. "Huh?"

He blinked as the bombpikachu landed in his hands.

"Rocket Dork!.!.!" Lars roared, getting his bearings back. "When I catch you and Twister, a whomping will be the least of your…!" He stopped when he noticed the bob-omb. "Wha?"

He blinked as it landed in his hands.

Both boys' eyes widened when they saw the lit fuses. THEY WERE GOING TO **EXPLODE**!.!.!

"OH CRAP!.!.!" They both screamed, holding the bombs at arm's length from each other. Iggy and the rest of the Lasers covered their heads in fear. Otto and the others covered their ears.

Soon, the fuses burned up. Nothing happened however. After a few tense seconds, Lars and Izzy opened their eyes and inspected the bombs. They sighed with relief.

"Oh thank God… A dud…" They said with shaky chuckles.

"Hey Iggy, chill." Izzy said to his brother. "It was just a dud!" The younger brunet looked up.

"A dud?" His brother nodded. "Whew. For a second there, I thought it was gonna blow up."

"Heh that just shows ya how lucky we are!"

Both brothers gave a relieved laugh at that. Had they not have been laughing, they would've noticed the bomb's cheeks sparking with electricity.

°BZZZZZZZZZTPT!.!.!°

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!" They both screamed as they were shocked by the bomb's voltage. Because they were wet from the water balloons, their shocks were greater than they would've been had the brothers been dry.

"Oooooohhhh… That had to hurt." Sam said, observing the light display. Everybody else looked at him weirdly.

"Are you saying you feel _sorry_ for them?" Otto asked.

"Nope." He said, holding his nose high. The others sweatdropped.

"Hey, I wonder how Lars is doing…" Reggie said thoughtfully.

"Eh, he's fine by the looks of it." Twister answered, looking at his brother.

"Get up ya bunch of lame-os!" The brunet in the grey hat ordered, kicking his cronies. "We gotta get outta here before the principal shows up!"

"Ugh…" The other Lasers groaned.

"Oy…" Lars slapped his head. He then held up the bob-omb. "Well, at least this thing didn't blow up on us."

By now, the electricity stopped flowing. Both brothers were as black as the Lasers. Their bodies were also crackling with leftover voltage. Iggy had a dizzy look on his as he stumbled around his sibling, who looked a lot worse, having been holding the bombpikachu. He was staring at the ceiling as his body trembled with temporary paralysis.

"Heh, heh, heh… Every time I deal with _him_, it's an electrifying experience…" He chuckled shakily.

"Whew…" Iggy sighed, shaking his head. "Well, at least Reggie didn't get hurt."

"Ugh… Yeah… But I couldn't get Blondie!" Izzy wailed, crying the same way his brother was moments ago.

"There, there." The shorter brunet said, patting his shoulder.

And that was when he said those dreaded words.

"At least nothing bad can happen now."

Needless to say, something bad _did_ happen.

It was at that moment that both the bob-omb and bombpikachu glowed brightly. Both parties cried animé tears as they knew what was coming. Tearfully, both boys holding the bombs looked at the camera.

"Why?" They whimpered.

°**DOUBLE KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**°

Instantly, both groups crashed through the roof of the building. Lars and Izzy, covered from head to toe in soot, clenched both fists and grinded their teeth in pure annoyance. The other four boys, also blacker than before, had swirls and Xs for eyes as they flew skywards.

"I am now reminded why I _hate_ Pikachu!" The brunet in the blue hat roared.

"Ugh! When I get back down there, Rocket Dork is gonna get it!" The one in the gray hat declared.

Soon both teams came together in the sky.

"When I get back to that school, Blondie's gonna wish he was never born!" Izzy shook his fists madly.

"Hey!" Lars said, grabbing him by the collar. "It's _your_ fault I couldn't get those little brats!"

"_My_ fault!.?" The junior demanded, fighting out of Lars' grip. "It's _your_ fault I couldn't blast that blond nitwit!"

"Oh yeah!.?" The older brunet challenged, glaring at him.

"Yeah!.?" The younger one retorted, shaking a fist.

"When we get back down, you're toast ya dork!"

"You and what army?.!" Izzy challenged.

"_This_ army!" Lars replied, holding up both fists.

The others blinked and sighed, watching their leaders go at it.

"You guys wanna get some breakfast when we get down?" Iggy asked.

"Sure!" The Lasers answered.

"Well, until then…" The younger Lopez Brother started.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!.!.!" All six of their voices echoed as they disappeared into the sky.

"Hey! I hate that joke!" Izzy shouted as they all became a star.


	2. Of Letters and Evil Deeds

Día de los Inocentes

Chapter Two

Of Letters and Evil Deeds

"Whew! What a way to start the day, huh?" Otto asked as the quartet walked towards their lockers.

"Yeah, talk about your close calls." Twister sighed.

"They deserved it if you ask me." Reggie said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah! Especially Izzy." Sam growled. Twister raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's new, Squid."

"Heh." Otto smirked. "If Izzy says he's Sam's rival, there's no reason why _he_ can't treat _him_ like dirt too."

"Right!" The blond nodded.

"Whatever." Reggie sighed, rolling her eyes.

They soon arrived at Otto and Twister's lockers, which were next to each other.

"We'll see you guys later." The latter said, waving at Sam and Reggie, who were walking away.

"Yeah, see ya at lunch!" Reggie called, waving back at them.

"So, think Lars and those dorks will ever get down?" The taller redhead asked, fiddling with his lock.

"Duh! Of course they'll get down!" Otto answered, rolling his eyes as he dealt with his own lock. "Don't ya remember that Science class in sixth grade?"

"…Oh yeah…" Twister blinked, finally opening his locker. "Well at least we know they won't pull anything after getting blown up like that." He then proceeded to grab his books for his next couple of classes.

"Hmmmm… I don't think so…" The shorter redhead doubted.

"Whaddya mean, dude?"

"If I know your brother like I _think_ I do, he'll have something else planned."

"No way!" Twister shook his head. "What he just tried had to be what he was laughing about last night!"

"Whatever, bro." Otto sighed, going back into his jungle of a locker. A few moments passed before he blinked. "Hey! What's this?"

He pulled out a pink envelope. All that was written on it was his name in bright pink ink. It was hardly recognizable due to both the handwriting and the blending of colors. Raising an eyebrow, Otto turned it over and saw that it was sealed with a heart-shaped sticker.

"Heh, looks like you got some girl going after ya, Ottoman." Twister teased, nudging his best friend. "So spill. Who is it?" He put his arm around Otto's neck.

"I dunno bro!" The one in the sunglasses grunted, struggling out of his best bro's grip. "I didn't even know somebody was crushing on me!"

"Well somebody is…" The one in the hat trailed off, blinking at his locker. "Hey! I got something too!"

With a strange look, he pulled out his own envelope. Unlike Otto's, it was a plain white one. It had his name written on it in ink that alternated between blue and black. He turned it around and found that it was sealed with a sticker that was shaped like a rocket. Twister put on a curious look as he inspected the envelope.

"Bust!" Otto taunted, laughing at him. "Looks like somebody wants ya too, bro!" He elbowed the taller boy, whose face was red. Twister ignored his best friend's teasing as he turned to Otto and held up the envelope.

"Ottoman—"

°BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!.!.!.!.!°

"Aw crap! I'm gonna be late!" Otto cursed, slamming his locker shut. "See ya at lunch, Twist!" He added, running off.

"Uhhhh… Yeah… See ya, Otto…" The taller redhead said distantly. He pocketed the envelope, shut his locker and walked to his own class.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

°SLAM!°

As the last couple of students in the hall ran to their classes, the main doors were kicked open by an irate Izzy. He was covered in bruises. His shirt and vest were torn in several places. And to make matters worse, he had two—count 'em! Two!—black eyes. His fists were shaking dangerously. As he limped inside, he was followed by Iggy, who was smiling from ear to ear as he reached into the paper bag he was holding and pulled out a doughnut. Unlike his brother, he seemed to be in good shape. He just had a couple of scorch marks on his clothes from the explosion earlier.

"I swear; I'm going to destroy Blondie by the end of the day!.!.!" Izzy's scream echoed throughout the hall. He then added as an afterthought, "And then I'm gonna get back at Lars!"

"Hmmmm… Yummy…" Iggy grinned as he pulled a chocolate doughnut out of the bag. "Hey, bro, do you want some? This stuff is tasty!" He took a bite out of his treat as the older brunet glared at him.

"I'm only hungry for one thing and that's revenge! When I find Blondie, he's gonna wish he never ducked! I'm gonna—"

He was cut off as his stomach rumbled. He sweatdropped and looked down, then at Iggy, who was grinning. He put on an exasperated glower as he snatched the bag out of his brother's hands and grabbed a doughnut for himself. He then chomped into it.

"Hmph… I can't believe I—Hmmm…—forgot to eat—Aw man, this is delicious—breakfast before we left." He said with his mouth full.

"Well, I _tried_ to tell you that we shoulda ate before we left, but _nooooooo__…_" Iggy started, grabbing a jelly doughnut. "You had to drag me to school at six AM to set up that stupid catapult!"

"Please don't mention that to me ever again." Izzy groaned, rubbing his temple. "It's bad enough that I couldn't get _him_, but I got shocked, blown up, and then beaten up by Lars, who'll pay big time!"

"Whatever…" The younger brother sighed. He then looked around and noticed that the hallway was empty. "Hey bro, what time is it?"

"Hmmm?" The taller one hummed. He looked at his wristwatch. "Let's see… It's nine thir—OH CRAP!.!.! WE'RE LATE!.!.!" He dashed down the hall. "SEE YA LATER, IGGY!.!.!"

"BYE IZZY!.!.!" Iggy replied in the same frantic fashion, running in the opposite direction.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

'_Man, I wonder who this is from…_' Otto thought to himself as he sat down in his usual desk by the window.

He was currently in his first class of the day, U.S. History. As he watched students file in, he opened his book and pulled out the envelope from earlier. He moved it around, studying it for a few moments. He looked at the front of it, where his name was clearly written in perfect cursive. He then turned it around and looked at the sticker protecting the contents from the outside world.

Whoever sent it wanted to let him know that this was very important. Almost like—

'_No way…_' He thought, shaking his head. He then leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. '_…Could it really…?_'

He studied the envelope again, drinking in the sight of it. It's perfection. His name was obviously written by the hands of a girl. The penmanship was delicate. He then nodded.

'_Well, no time like the present._'

With that final thought, he turned the container around and lifted the sticker carefully. He then lifted the flap and saw a white sheet. Making sure not to damage this all important note, he pulled it out slowly. When he finally got it out, he placed the envelope on his desk and with a final gulp, unfolded the paper. He then read the letter, which was written in hot pink ink like his name.

_Dear Otto,_

_This may come as a shock to you, but I've always been attracted to you. _

_I've found your determination to be the most admirable. _

_You're also very sweet, not to mention **HOT!.!.!** _

_From the first time I've seen you in your swimming trunks, _

_I couldn't stop thinking about you. _

_Your broad chest, your gorgeous eyes which _

_I long to see without those sunglasses on them, not to mention those _

_dreadlocks__ I long to slide my fingers through. _

_I want to make you mine, not to mention _

_see__ you without those shorts on. _

_Meet me at the gym at 3 o'clock sharp!_

_Love,_

_Your secret admirer ♥♥♥_

_P.S: Tell no one and come **ALONE!.!.!**_

Otto felt his cheeks flaring after reading that whole thing. Somebody actually _loved_ him! He never thought that ANY girl in school would want him. Well, he never actually paid that much attention. Not that he didn't want to have someone, of course. He was just so into extreme sports that he never noticed the fairer sex. After all, he wanted to be as great a skater as Tony Hawk, as great a snowboarder as Shaun White, and of course, as great a surfer as Kelly Slater. He simply didn't have time for love. But now it seemed that a girl had decided to make a move on _him_.

'_Fine.__ No problem._' He gave an indifferent shrug. '_I don't mind getting with whoever sent this, as long as she's hot. But who sent it though?_'

He held his chin as a dozen names floated around his mind. Whoever it was had to be someone who knew him personally. After all, he only goes surfing with people he considers his friends, except during contests, of course. Unfortunately for the sake of trying to figure this out, he's surfed with lots of girls since he was a kid. Also, it had to be someone who writes with pink ink, not to mention has good cursive.

'_Hmmmm__…_' He sat there for a few moments, trying to figure this out.

'_Could it have been Trish?_' He shook his head. '_Nah.__ She doesn't use a pink pen._'

'_Maybe Sherry?_' Again, he shook his head. '_I saw the way she writes. Talk about chicken scratches. I can't read ANYTHING she writes!_'

He held his head, trying to figure this out, when a shrill whistle broke through his thoughts.

'_Huh?_'

He looked out the window and saw the school's football field. He saw the cheerleaders running their drills. He gasped and felt a strong blush when he laid eyes on the captain of the squad.

'_Clio…_' He sighed lovingly.

The junior girl was the same age as Reggie. She was slightly taller than the elder Rocket. She was just a few inches shy of Lars' height. Her elegant hair was a beautiful indigo. It reached far down her back, a sure sign that it has grown over the years. She had a lovely tan that was just a shade darker than Reggie's.

She was currently wearing the school colors. Her shirt, which stuck to her like a second skin, was violet and had the letters "OSH" embroidered in orange stitching. Her skirt, which left _little_ to the imagination, alternated between orange and violet. Skipping past her slender legs, she was wearing a pair of pink and red shoes.

Otto was in a trance as he watched her shake her pom-poms (not to mention something _else_. °Wink, wink°), which bore, of course, the school colors. His mouth dropped as she danced across the field alluringly. His heart went right to his throat as he watched her pirouette, creating a dazzling blur of orange and purple. Steam literally shot out of his ears as she finished with a lovely split.

"Woah…" He said dazedly.

"Ahem!.!.!"

"GAH!.!.!" He cried out, dropping onto the floor. The rest of the class roared with laughter as the redhead sheepishly looked up at the teacher, who glowered at him disapprovingly.

"Mr. Rocket, I do hope I'm not _boring_ you." The older man said, crossing his arms.

"N-n-no sir!" Otto replied, scrambling up to his seat. This display generated more snickers among his classmates.

"Hmph! That's better." The teacher grunted, turning away from him. "Now class, I expect you all to…"

Otto tuned him out as he sighed with relief. The teacher hadn't seen the note he got. He then blushed when he realized something important.

'_Did **Clio** send me the note?_' A wide grin appeared on his face at the thought. '_Oh man… The captain of the cheerleading squad has the hots for **me**!.?.!_'

He read over the note again. It made sense. The perfect penmanship, the pink ink (Otto knew that she adored pink), and the things she said. It fitted together! He surfed with her dozens of times. He especially remembered that first time when he was ten. Although he was forced to dance like a ballerina, he felt a bond with her when he looked at her perfect shape submerged underwater.

Of course, at the time, he knew he had no chance with her and tuned her out. Not to mention that during the years, he developed a sort of crush for someone else… But it never panned out. Since then, he never felt anything for anyone else. But now that he knows about her feelings, his heart opened up to the possibility that Clio Rodriguez was in love with him after six long years. It gave him a warm, happy feeling to know that someone actually felt something for _him_. He sighed longingly.

'_Oh, I can't wait until three o'clock…_'

A little later…

A teacher walked down the silent hall on his way to the library. It seemed that he was returning a book he borrowed for a lesson. He was wearing a blue leisure suit with matching pants and a black tie. He also seemed to be wearing a gray toupee. He was humming a cheerful tune as he made his trek to the hallowed temple of books.

He seemed so happy, so carefree, so…_unsuspecting_.

This was Izzy's thought as he watched from his perch. He was standing in the nearby supply closet with a cunning smirk on his face.

'_That's right…_' He snickered as he opened the door slightly and watched the teacher as he came closer and closer. '_Just a few more steps and you're mine._'

Soon, his prey neared the closet. As he passed the door, the evil brunet stepped out of it, crept up to him, pushed him onto the ground, and put a rag dipped in chloroform up to his face! The teen held it there as the man tried to struggle. It was no use though. In mere seconds, he was out.

"Sleeping like a baby." The being of darkness sniggered as he let the man's head fall to the floor. "Now to get ready."

With that, he dragged the teacher by the legs into the closet.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sam was in his third period class, effortlessly working on algebraic equations, when…

"Sam?" The blond lifted his head and looked at the teacher, who was a kind, but strict woman.

"Yes ma'am?" He asked.

"Could you please go and deliver this message to the librarian?"

"Sure thing." He replied with a nod as he got up and walked to the desk amid dirty looks and comments like "Teacher's pet," "Suck up," and the like.

When he reached the desk, the teacher handed him a folded up note. The blond then walked out of the room (after grabbing a hall pass, of course).

As Sam neared the library, he felt a dark presence in the air. It was a very cold feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It was almost as if the devil himself would come and destroy him if he didn't tread cautiously. He shivered for a few moments before shaking his head.

'_Come on, it's nothing._' He started walking again. '_I gotta get to the library._'

The blond turned right at a corner and found a teacher struggling to reach a banner on the wall. It was much too high for the man, who was simply not tall enough. What Sam found odd was that the faculty member was wearing a blue leisure suit and matching pants that looked way too big for him. The pants looked like they could fall at any moment! He was also wearing a black tie that was tied very loosely. The strangest part was the gray toupee he was wearing. Sam could've sworn he saw black hair growing underneath it. The blond scratched his head at the person and shrugged.

'_Maybe he's one of those eccentric teachers._' He thought as he walked up to him.

"Excuse me?" He greeted. "Do you need some help, sir?"

The teacher, who had tanned skin, turned and faced him with a happy, though somewhat forced, grin.

"Why yes, I do." He replied. "You see, I need to get that banner—" He pointed at the banner in question, which read, 'Join the chess club! It pwns all others!' "—down so that I can put up this poster for our next school dance."

He held up a crudely drawn poster. It looked like it was put together in five minutes with crayons. It had a pretty pathetic-looking couple pictured on it dancing.

"Can you please get me a ladder from the supply closet? I'd go myself, but with today being April Fools Day and all, I don't want to risk the poster getting destroyed."

Sam held his chin. It seemed suspicious, but he had no reason to suspect a teacher of foul play. After all, he was obviously a respected professional, although he _did_ look a little young to be a teacher… The blond shrugged. He knew that he had to get that letter to the librarian, but it couldn't hurt to help someone in need.

"Alright. I'll be right back." He said, walking towards the nearby closet.

What he wasn't aware of, however, was the "teacher's" evil grin. When he was sure Sam was out of sight, the dark one walked into a nearby classroom and grabbed a bucket. He returned to the hall and placed it down. He went back to the empty room and grabbed a large plank. He made one more trip to the room and got a bucket full of red paint.

Snickering mischievously, he walked into the hallway and set up the three items so that they became a veritable seesaw of DOOM! The plank was balancing on the first bucket while he placed the paint can on the far end of it.

'_This is brilliant!_' Izzy thought maliciously. '_The ladder I'm having Blondie get is broken in one section. Once he steps on it, it'll collapse, making him fall on the plank. While he's reeling, the paint can will fly up into the air and land on his head, drenching him in red paint!_'

He sniggered as he rubbed his hands.

'_While it may not be as elaborate as my original plan, the end result will be just as funny!_'

Soon, Sam walked back into the hallway, grunting as he dragged a large, wooden stepladder towards the "teacher." Izzy resisted the overwhelming urge to laugh as he watched his rival struggle with the heavy load. When Sam reached him, he gave an odd look at the plank and the paint can.

"I also have to paint this wall." Izzy answered the other boy's unasked question. He then sighed, playing the role perfectly. "You'd think they'd get a janitor to do this sort of thing, but oh no. _I_ have to deal with this just because it's my coffee break." He shook his head.

"…" Sam blinked. "Well, here's the ladder. I have to get going." He leaned the ladder against the wall and turned to walk away.

"Wait a minute Blond—errr, I mean young man." Sam turned towards the teacher. "I can't possibly take down the banner and hang on to the ladder at the same time. I need you to climb up it and remove the banner. I'll hold the ladder for you."

The blond gave him another suspicious look. Sweat poured down Izzy's face in sheets, fearing that his plan would fail. To his relief, however, Sam nodded in agreement.

"You have a point." He said, walking up to the ladder. Izzy wiped his forehead and grinned evilly as he watched his hated rival prepare to climb up it. It seemed that his prank would succeed. Just a few more seconds…

"Hi, Mr. Teacher!" A new voice screamed. Izzy felt his eyes widen in horror when he realized who said that. He turned and saw none other than Iggy walking up to them with a grin.

"Iggy! Whaddya—" Izzy cleared his throat when he realized he was supposed to be a teacher. "I-I-I mean, what are _you_ doing out of class?"

"Potty break." Iggy answered, producing a white piece of paper. "I have my hall pass right here."

The older brother sweatdropped. That was one thing he liked _and_ hated about his sibling. He _always_ did what he was told. The younger Lopez Brother gasped when he saw the other member of this conversation.

"Hi, Sammy-Sam!" He yelled, waving at the blond in question. "What're ya doing?"

"Erm… Hey there, Iggy." Sam replied, waving back at him strangely. "I'm helping this teacher out by taking down this banner."

"Coolies! Can I help?"

"Don't you have to go to the bathroom?" Izzy asked, giving his brother an exasperated look.

"Oh no worries. I can hold it." The brunet in the purple cap answered cheerfully. He walked over to the ladder. "I'll climb up this thing and take down the banner for ya!"

The "teacher" slapped his head and ran forward as his brother climbed up the ladder.

"Iggy, no!"

Too late. Iggy scrambled up the ladder as Izzy stopped in front of it. As the shorter brother stepped on the sixth step, it collapsed, causing him to lost his footing!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" He screamed as he plummeted.

"I got ya! I got ya!" Izzy shouted, running around.

He was standing right in front of the plank when his brother crashed into him, causing a great dust cloud to appear. As a result, the paint can was fired!

"Woah!" Sam yelped, ducking. The can flew over his head as the cloud dissipated. A splat was heard seconds later.

"Ya idiot!" Izzy roared at Iggy. "Things were going great until _you_ showed up! Why the hell did you have to come out here!.?.!"

"Izzy!.?.!" Iggy sputtered, looking at his brother in surprise.

"_Izzy!.?.!_" Sam added in shock. He looked at his rival, who ripped the toupee off his head.

"Well?.!" He demanded to his brother.

"I told ya! I had to go to the bathroom!" Iggy answered, glaring at him. "You _know_ the bathroom by the library is the only one that works on this floor!"

"Well, thanks to _you_, my prank got ruined!"

"So, you were trying to prank me, huh?" Sam asked, crossing his arms. "When are you gonna learn?"

Izzy dropped Iggy, who he held by the shirt, and turned to the blond.

"How dare you!.? Wait until later! You'll learn true pain! You'll—"

He gasped when he saw a familiar figure standing behind Sam. The blond looked at him strangely before he heard a low growling. Gulping, he turned around and found the source of his rival's fear.

Lars was standing there, covered in red paint! His eyes were transfixed in a cold, deadly glare as he pushed past Sam and advanced towards Izzy, who was shaking as he stepped backwards.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-now Lars…" He tried, holding his hands up. "I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-wasn't intending to hit y-y-y-you… I meant to get _him_!" He pointed at Sam.

The outraged brunet wouldn't hear any of it though. He delivered an earth-shattering roar as he charged at Izzy. The junior screamed in pure terror as he ran down the hall, followed by the senior, who was out for blood. A red trail followed the two brunets.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.! HELP!.!.!"

Sam and Iggy blinked at the scene in confusion before turning to each other.

"Uhhhh… I guess I'll see ya later then." The latter said, running off to the nearby bathroom. Sam sweatdropped.

"Yeah…" He then sighed as he continued towards the library. "Something tells me today's going to be a _loooooooonnnnnng_ day."


	3. Midday Lunacy

Día de los Inocentes

Chapter Three

Midday Lunacy

It was finally lunchtime in Ocean Shores High and all the students were happily getting their lunches! The cafeteria was packed as everyone sat at the tables and devoured their various snacks and caught up on the latest gossip. We now join Reggie and Sam, who were sitting across from each other.

"…And then Lars chased after him." The blond finished his story. "I haven't seen him so mad before, not even when he lost to us in last week's hockey game."

"Man, talk about being absolutely lame." Reggie said, taking a sip of her chocolate milk. "It's good to know you made it out of there in one piece. That Izzy's a real lame-o."

"Yeah, no kidding." Sam sighed, taking a bite out of his ham sandwich. "But at least Iggy didn't get hurt for once."

"Poor kid. He needs to break away from his brother and make his own friends." She bit into her salad.

"I doubt _that'll_ happen anytime soon. He's too dependent on _Izzy_." He said that name with a growl. "He wouldn't have any direction in his life. He'd just fall apart."

"Man; that psychology class must be paying off, huh?" Reggie remarked.

"Heh, I suppose." Sam said with a bashful blush. He quickly shook it off as he took a sip of his milkshake. "But you have to admit, he sticks way too close to his brother."

"I guess…" The female sighed guiltily.

"So anyway, have you seen Otto and Twist?"

"I have no clue where Otto is, but Twister's been acting strange all day."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he hasn't been thinking straight at all!"

"And that's different from every other day how?" Sam asked, finishing off his sandwich. Reggie rolled her eyes.

"I mean worse than usual. He's been walking crookedly and his face was all red! He also had this goofy grin on his face. When I asked him what was up, he took one look at me and ran away screaming." She explained. The blond slurped his milkshake as he gave her a strange look.

"That doesn't sound like him at all." He commented.

"Yeah, and every other time I saw him, he was shaking and shuddering like he was afraid or something."

"Weird…" Sam said thoughtfully. "I wonder what's going on here."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile, at the other end of the cafeteria, Twister entered, looking very distraught. He was pale and trembling badly. He was almost like those old motorized football games. He looked around nervously, as if expecting someone to jump out at any minute. He was shaking greatly as he approached the kitchen, holding an opened letter.

'_I-i-i-i-i-i-it can't be…_' He thought to himself as he grabbed a tray and waited in line. '_It just can't be **her**…_'

He gulped as a lunch lady put an indescribable brown substance on his tray.

'_But if it is, what'll **he** say? **He'll** kill me if **she** sent it…_'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the opposite end of the room, a severely angry Izzy limped inside, along with his brother. There were cuts, bruises, and other matters of damage on the older boy's face. A bandage was on his left cheek, which was swollen. Both of his eyes were even worse than they were this morning. His clothes were so ripped up and dirty, it looked as if he walked in from the street. His hat, shirt, and shorts were covered with red stains. Of course, it was hard to tell if they were paint or bloodstains. Most likely the latter. He was holding a brown bag in his left hand. He growled and snarled as he walked along, thinking of different ways to torture and humiliate those responsible for his pain and suffering.

Iggy, meanwhile, was walking nervously. It seemed like he was having second thoughts about something. Something important. He had a good reason to be jittery. What if what he was planning backfired? He wanted this to be as perfect as possible. But what if she didn't believe him? Everything would be ruined! He clutched his Looney Tunes lunchbox to his chest as he gulped.

"I-I-I-Izzy…?" He spoke up.

"What?" Izzy hissed, turning to him with a dark look. Iggy shuddered at the ice in his eyes before gulping again.

"A-a-a-a-a-are you s-s-sure this'll w-w-work…?" He asked, losing all confidence he had in his plan. The older brunet sighed, forgetting his rage for the moment.

"Don't worry about it. Just tell her the exact same way I showed you the last couple of weeks and everything will be fine." He answered, rolling his eyes.

"R-really?" Iggy asked, his eyes brightening. Izzy shuddered at the display.

"Yeah, really." He confirmed. His brother nodded happily.

"Ok! Let's go!" He shouted eagerly.

"Hmph! Fine." Izzy grunted, walking again. "Come on. I see her."

"Yay!" Iggy cheered, following with newfound confidence.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What?.! You don't think he—"

"I don't know for sure." Reggie cut Sam off. "But yeah, it looks like he's—"

"Hey guys…" A new voice said with a loving sigh.

The purple haired girl and the blond raised an eyebrow at Otto, who set a tray down on the table and sat down next to the latter. Their eyes widened when they noticed the look on his face. His eyes had a half-lidded expression. His cheeks were a bright red as he leaned on the table and propped his head on both hands. He gave another longing sigh as he stared ahead. Still keeping that weirded out expression, Reggie and Sam followed his gaze to the cafeteria's south wall where the cheerleaders' table was. They gasped in understanding when they figured out the redhead was staring at Clio who was sitting at the head of the table.

"Woah! Otto and _Clio_!.?.!" They exclaimed, looking at each other. They then looked at Otto. "When did _that_ happen!.?"

"Ahhhhhh… Clio…" Otto simply sighed in response. Without another word, he got up and walked over to a table that was closer to the cheerleaders. Reggie and Sam blinked before turning to each other.

"Things just keep getting weirder and weirder." The former said.

"Yeah." Sam said, nodding in agreement.

Just then, the two juniors saw Twister approach the table. He had a distant look on his face as he sat down, like Otto, next to Sam. It was clear that he wasn't all there as he stared at the brown slop on his tray in dismay. It looked as if he was torn in two directions. He sighed in agony.

"Hey, you alright Twist?" Reggie asked.

"Wha?.?.?" The redhead in the cap sputtered, looking up. He looked around himself in confusion before settling his eyes on the girl across from him. His eyes widened when he noticed her looking at him in concern.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!" He screamed, shooting up and running out of the cafeteria. Reggie and Sam sweatdropped as the dust trail he created dissipated. They then turned to each other.

"Do you have the feeling we're missing something important?" The former asked the blond. Sam could only nod in response.

Just then, Reggie felt someone tapping on her right shoulder.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around.

She groaned inwardly when she saw Iggy standing there, sweating as he gulped nervously. Sam suppressed a growl when he saw the older Lopez Brother standing behind the younger one. Iggy gave another gulp before turning to his brother. Izzy put on his usual glower as he nodded. The shorter brunet returned the nod as he turned back to Reggie.

"Reggie, I have something to tell you." He said with a strangely stolid expression.

Both members of the Rocket crew gave him a strange look. Normally, Iggy was extremely goofy and nervous around Reggie. It was no secret that the younger of the two dark haired brothers had a crush on her. He always presented her with flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day, a basket full of colored eggs and candy around Easter, a toy of some sort on her birthday, and a grand gift around Christmas. Needless to say, the elder Rocket sibling ignored his advances and just shrugged him off.

Today, however, he had a completely stone faced expression. Whatever he needed to say, it was important. Or at least that's what the violet haired girl thought.

"Yeah? What is it?" She asked. Iggy took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he prepared to speak.

"I just wanted to say that I no longer like-like you." He replied, giving her a look of dislike. "In fact, I don't like you at all."

She gave him a bewildered look, but it quickly turned into a small glower as she looked at Izzy, who was snarling at Sam. It was apparent that _he_ put Iggy up to this. Her glower turned into a glare. While she didn't feel the same way as Iggy did, she found his antics and attempts to get her attention cute. In fact, she made a small collection of the different toys he sent her over the years. The majority of them were Hot Wheels cars and little toy soldiers, but the gifts were admirable. And now, he no longer felt anything for her because of the hate his brother had for her blond friend. Did Izzy even have a heart? She felt herself shake in anger.

…That is, until she heard the younger Lopez Brother's snickering.

"Huh?" She turned to the boy, whose snickers turned into full blown laughter.

"Ha ha! April Fools!" Iggy shouted, pointing at her. "I can't believe you fell for it! Hahahaha!.!.!"

Both Reggie and Sam sweatdropped at the display. Izzy only crossed his arms in slight annoyance.

"I could _never_ stop like-liking you, Reggie-Poo!" The boy in the purple cap said, rubbing against her like a purring kitten. "I just wanted to play a little joke since today's April Fools Day and all."

He stood straight up and pointed at his brother.

"Izzy taught me how to look mean and serious for weeks just so that I could trick ya!" He then grinned at Reggie, who had an expression that was somewhere between appalled and seriously freaked out.

"Isn't that funny? Hahahaha—"

"Knock it off already!.!.!" Izzy roared, punting him clear across the room.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!"

°CRASH!°

"Idiot. I'm starving over here and he's acting stupider than usual." The brunet in the blue hat muttered. He then turned and bowed respectfully.

"Reggie."

He then growled and shook a fist at her companion.

"_Blondie…_"

He then stomped over to where Iggy landed.

"That does it." Reggie started, staring after him. "Next April Fools Day, I'm staying home."

"Ditto." Sam agreed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Tchahahahahahahaha!.!.! There's no way Rocket Dork will beat this!" Lars sniggered.

The bringer of doom and despair in the gray hat was waiting and watching as kids filed into the classroom for the next period, Driver's Ed. Lars had this class along with Otto and Twister. The reason: It's a special class that anyone sixteen and older can participate in, regardless of what grade they're in. He would've taken the class long ago had it not been introduced this year.

Soon, everyone aside from the two redheads in question was inside. Most were chatting amongst themselves while everybody else (including the teacher) watched eagerly as Lars climbed up a ladder and adjusted the door so that it was ajar.

"Ok, this one's kinda old, but nothing beats the classics." He said to those listening as he climbed down and grabbed a bucket full of ice cold water. "You know how it works: I put the bucket on top of the door. When Rocket Dork and my brother come in, it'll drop on them, soaking them to the bone!"

Everyone in the class roared with laughter at the plan. Lars silenced them with a wave of his hand as he climbed up the ladder again and placed the pail atop the door. The brunet climbed back down and ran to his seat, which was in the back row closest to the door.

Not even five seconds later, the door was slammed open. The bucket, which was already teetering, plummeted on the poor victim's head.

°SPLASH!°

"APRIL FOOLS!.!.!" The entire class shouted, laughing and pointing at the figure, who was standing there with the bucket covering his head. Lars raised an eyebrow. He had expected to get _both_ of the best friends, but instead, only got _one_ of them. Did he drench Otto? Or did Twister suffer this fate?

"Well, it doesn't matter which one of them I got!" He bragged, walking over to the boy, whose fists were clenched dangerously at his sides.

To the student's dismay, the brunet grabbed a nearby hammer, no doubt left behind by a janitor, and banged the pail, creating dents all over it, not to mention giving his brother or rival a massive headache. The mystery person shook and shuddered in a mixture of extreme anger and extreme cold. About five minutes passed before the master of mischief stopped his assault and grabbed the sides of the bucket.

"And now place your bets folks!" He continued the torture. "Which of the miniature dork twins did I just—"

"Hey, sorry we're late." A voice interrupted.

The class (and Lars) gasped in shock when they noticed Otto and Twister standing in the doorway. The shorter of the two redheads, who delivered that last statement, walked inside, followed by his best bro.

"Yeah. We had to do something for a teacher out in the hall." Twister explained. He then gave Lars a strange look. "Why are you looking at us like that?"

The brunet in question was looking at them with a wide-eyed look. His face was drained of all color as he stuttered. In other words, he was flabbergasted.

"Y-y-y-y-you m-m-mean neither of you just got soaked?" He asked slowly.

Otto and Twister raised an eyebrow at him. "No…"

Again, Lars gulped. "Th-th-then that means…"

A low, but lethal snarl dripping venom was heard from inside the bucket. It sounded like a million livid bees that just had their hive destroyed. Slowly, the brunet in the gray hat shakily lifted the pail off the boy's head, revealing…

"IZZY!.?.!" Lars, Otto, and Twister gasped, stepping back.

Indeed, Lars had just dropped the bucket on the one person he _didn't_ need to prank! The junior didn't look the least bit pleased. His face was red in pure, unadulterated rage. His eyes were just as venomous as his snarling. They were two orbs of intense, crimson flames. Due to the extreme heat given off by the boy's rage, the water he was just soaked with evaporated instantly, creating a barrier of steam around him.

Before anyone can do anything, a tanned hand stretched out of the cloud and grabbed onto Lars' shirt. Izzy, huffing and puffing through gritted teeth that looked like they could crack any minute, pulled the older boy in and fixed him with a deadly glare.

"**_You…_**" He seethed, tightening his grip.

Regaining his control as both an upperclassman and a bully, he broke out of the younger brunet's grasp and stood back. After dusting himself off, he crossed his arms and snickered at the other prankster. Scratch that. He went into full blown laughter after looking at the outraged boy.

"Heh, heh, sorry kid. That—HAHAHA!.!.!—wasn't meant for—TCHAHAHA!.!.!—you! But it—PAHAHAHA!.!.!—was PERFECT!.!.! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!"

Lars fell to the ground and banged it as he kept laughing. Meanwhile, Otto and Twister edged away as Izzy shook all over and clenched his fists. There was no way he was going to take this lying down.

"Screw realism…" He growled, reaching behind him. "You're mine!.!.!"

With that, he pulled out a huge wooden mallet! The older brunet stopped and gasped upon seeing the weapon. He then glowered at the younger boy as he stood up.

"You wouldn't dare…" He challenged, holding up his fists.

"You wanna try me!.?" Izzy roared, lunging with his hammer drawn back. "KIAAAHHH!.!.!" At the arch of his jump, he brought his weapon crashing down.

"Woah!" Lars shouted, narrowly avoiding the mallet, which plummeted into where he was standing, creating a huge hole in the floor. The rest of the class gasped as Izzy picked it up and charged at him again.

"Lopez! Stop this at once!" The teacher ordered. He was ignored as Lars barely dove out of the way of the hammer. He then ran for it, laughing all the while.

"Get back here, you swine!.!.!" Izzy yelled, running after him. The chase continued into the hall.

Everybody in the room sweatdropped as the brunets' laughs and war cries echoed in the empty (or at least the teacher _hoped_ it was empty) corridor. They cringed as they heard several massive crashes and felt the school shake on its very foundation.

"I need to transfer outta this school…" The instructor groaned, holding his forehead. He then turned to the class. "Well let's get started, shall we?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

'_Aw man… This can't be happening…_' Twister groaned inwardly.

The current period was about half over. At the moment, the class was working on an assignment, but the redhead in the striped cap couldn't concentrate for two reasons. One, Lars and Izzy ran past the classroom every few seconds, _still_ going at it. The sounds of that mallet crashing into the walls and floor of the hall plus the screams, shouts, and taunts were enough to give _anyone_ a headache, but he was especially distracted.

That was the second reason. His mind was clearly on something else, which truthfully wasn't all that different from every other day, but what he was going through at the moment was extremely important. It was a matter of life and death!

'**_She_**_ couldn't have sent this! It's impossible!_'

Making sure the teacher wasn't looking; he reached into his book bag and pulled out the source of his anguish. The envelope from this morning. It was the same way he remembered it. His name was written in ink that alternated colors every letter. The first letter was written in black ink while the second one was in blue ink. The pattern continued like this for every other letter. From the moment he noticed this, it was obvious who sent it. The rocket-shaped sticker on back of it only confirmed his suspicions.

'_Reggie…_'

He sighed as he pulled out the message contained within. Like his name on the envelope, it was written in ink that alternated between black and blue after every letter. He gave a mournful whimper as he read it to himself.

_Dear Twister,_

_This is going to sound kind of strange, _

_so__ I hope you're sitting down when you read this._

_I'm in love with you. I've felt this way for the longest time._

_I don't know exactly what it is I find so attractive about you._

_Your strong physique, your overwhelming camera skills, _

_your__ cute freckles, that adorable cowlick, _

_those__ lips I long to kiss. And of course, _

_let's__ not forget that hot body I want to…**you know**…_

_It doesn't matter. What **does** matter is that I love you_

_and__ I want to wrap my arms around you and never let go._

_I want to make you mine and shout out to the world that_

_I love Twister Rodriguez!_

_Meet me at the gym at 3 o'clock._

_Love,_

_Your secret admirer_

_P.S: **Don't** tell anybody (especially me!) and come **ALONE!.!.!**_

Like the last few times he read it, he found himself blushing profusely. But also like previous times, he found himself thinking (if you can imagine it). The strange thing about the letter was that she signed it "Your secret admirer." But he figured out who wrote it before even opening the letter. Twister knew that she always wrote in black and blue for two reasons. One, to be different from everyone else. And two, to signify that she would give anyone a black and blue if they mess with her or any of her friends.

He gave a small grin. So Reggie loved him, huh? That was completely unexpected. He had always thought of her as sort of a big sister. Sure, a bossy and overprotective big sister, but a big sister nonetheless. Besides, he had a crush on someone else for awhile now, but he knew it would never happen. The other person he liked would never like him back in a million years. This'll be his big opportunity to finally get with someone. After all, he was sick and tired of Lars bragging every time he brought a new girlfriend home.

He nodded, making up his mind. He'll go to the gym at three and confront Reggie. He shrugged. He never knew. Maybe the relationship would work out and they'll get married someday. But if it didn't, no prob. They'll just be friends again like they were now and forget it ever happened.

'_But still… What would Ottoman say?_'

He gulped as he turned towards his best bro, who was snoozing on his desk. Drool was coming out of his mouth as he snored. Twister then crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat.

He knew how jealous Otto can get. He didn't like anybody hanging around with the taller redhead for anything. Needless to say, if he ever found out that Twister was dating someone, he'd go ballistic. Of course, because of the fact that this was Reggie, Otto's big sister, there was an added risk. If the relationship fell through and Twister wound up hurting Reggie, either accidentally or otherwise, he'd have to answer to Otto. Never mind being friends with the purple haired girl, he'd lose his best friend if anything happened!

Twister gulped again. And that was where he stood. If he got into a relationship with the elder Rocket and it didn't work out or if they have a messy break-up, he could say adiós to being friends with Otto. He'd hate him for life. They'd fight every day until they are as old as—

His thoughts were cut short as the bell rang. Sighing sadly, he packed up his things and shook the smaller redhead. After complaining that Twister interrupted his dream, the duo made their way to their next class.

An hour later…

°FLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH!.!.!°

"Ahhhhhh… That felt so good…" Sam sighed as he walked out of the boy's bathroom, rubbing his stomach. "That ham sandwich really took a lot outta me." He chuckled as he walked back to class.

As he approached the main doors, a figure lied in wait, ready to do one final evil deed for today. As soon as the boy saw the blond walk in front of the doors, he charged forward with his hands held out forward. It took all of his strength, but he managed to shove Sam right out of the school!

"Woah!" The bespectacled teen gasped, barely catching the railing. He sighed with relief as he sat down on the steps. "Man, what was that?"

Seconds later, he heard a slam behind him. Eyes widening in fright, he stood and turned towards the front doors, which were closed tight. The clicking he heard moments later confirmed his worst fears (at least for this situation). He was locked out of school! While most people would take this as an opportunity to go home, Sam was one to _always_ stay in school the whole day if he could help it. He growled angrily when he realized the only one responsible for this.

"_Izzy…_"

Sam stood there, mentally cursing his rival, when he noticed a white slip taped to the left door. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to it and took a look.

"Let's see here…"

_Dear Blondie,_

_If ya wanna get back into school _

_(though I have no clue why you'd wanna come back inside),_

_follow__ the arrows. You'll find my remote control for the doors._

_Hatefully yours,_

_Izzy Lopez_

_P.S: You **SUCK!.!.!**_

"Grrrrr…!" Sam ripped off the sheet and tore it to shreds. "Wait until I find him! Now where are those arrows?"

He looked to his left and found arrows drawn sloppily in yellow paint pointing around the left corner of the school. Among the arrows were paintings of flowers, skateboards, half pipes, roller blades, and strangely the word "Ow!.!.!" followed by a full-sized body print. The blond sweatdropped and sighed. Needless to say, this one was a joint effort by both brothers.

He walked, following the arrows and drawings, until he turned at the corner. He found himself standing in the school's garden. It consisted of several trees, as well as many areas where flowers grew. Sam moved forward, treading cautiously. He knew this was just another trap cooked up by the elder Lopez Brother. What he _didn't_ know, however, was his plan.

He neared one of the trees when he saw the black remote control Izzy used both this morning and last year when he pulled that pie prank on him. The device was surrounded by a ring of leaves. Sam looked around. There wasn't a sign of Izzy _or_ Iggy anywhere. He then looked carefully at the area around the remote. There wasn't anything suspicious either. The blond sighed with relief.

"Whew… Guess he was telling the truth for once." He surmised. "Maybe pushing me out the door was the prank."

With that cheerful thought in mind, he walked towards the tree. As soon as he stepped within the ring of leaves, it happened.

"AAAAHHHH!.!.!" He yelped as a rope wrapped around his ankles. He was then pulled upwards. He hung upside down helplessly as he was lifted a few feet into the air, just out of reach of the remote.

"Gwahahahahahahahaha!.!.!" That familiar voice laughed.

Sam looked and saw Izzy and Iggy walk towards him. The younger brother was covered with yellow paint as the blond suspected earlier.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here, Iggy." The older one bragged, crossing his arms. "A blond sap completely at our mercy!"

"Wow, I can't believe this actually worked!" Iggy said as Izzy grabbed the remote. Sam reached out for it, but it was no use.

"Heh, I knew I wasn't losing my touch." The one in the blue hat snickered, tossing the remote up and down. "I may have had some screw ups _this_ year, but now I've finally succeeded! Now all that's left to do is decide how we'll deal with you, Blondie. Any requests?"

"Uhhhh… Let me down?" Sam tried. To his utter misery, his rival only laughed in response.

"I'm sorry, that's not on the menu. Today, we're serving humiliation with a side of sweet revenge!"

"Ohhhh…" The blond moaned.

"Oooh, oooh! I know what we can do, big brother!" Iggy shouted, hopping up and down as he raised his left hand.

"Yeah? What is it?"

Izzy bent down so that his sibling can whisper his plan. When the freshman was done, the junior laughed evilly.

"Why Iggy! That's brilliant! I'd say you're becoming more and more like me each day!"

The younger brother giggled as Izzy patted his head. Sam gulped. He didn't like where this was going one bit.

"Wh-wh-what did he suggest?"

"Patience, Blondie. You'll find out soon enough." Izzy turned to walk away. "Iggy, set him up while I go to my last class and grab my camera, as well as our…_other_ surprise."

"With pleasure, bro." Iggy sniggered as he drew closer to Sam menacingly.

"Izzy! Don't you dare leave me here!" Sam screamed at the boy in question, who unlocked the nearby school doors and walked inside. "Come back! …Please?"


	4. The Big Smooch

Día de los Inocentes

Chapter Four

The Big Smooch

°BRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!.!.!.!.!°

This was it. Three o'clock. It was time to go to the gym, where the fate of two different skaters hung in the balance. The evil Lars laughed mischievously as he waited behind the bleachers. At long last, it was time to see his grand master plan unfurl. He snickered as he waited for the two pigeons to show up.

The first one to arrive was Otto, who had a look of pure nervousness on him, despite his tendency to jump head-on into anything. To the brunet's enjoyment, the redhead was looking around confusedly as he walked in from the gym's east entrance. The letter was clutched in his right hand as he waited for Clio to arrive.

'_Man, where could she be? She told me to come here at three and she's nowhere to be found._' He thought. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. '_What's keeping her?_'

Lars snickered as his rival paced around the center of the gym, inwardly wondering where his first, and apparently third, crush could possibly be.

'_Any minute now…_' The brunet thought, rubbing his hands. '_It was all worth it to throw those kooks off my trail all day. They have no clue._'

Otto was just about to lose hope and leave when he heard footsteps behind him. He grinned happily to know that this wasn't all some sick, cruel April Fools prank. At long last, he'll be able to get together with…

"Otto?"

The redhead blinked, his grin falling. That wasn't Clio's voice… In fact, the voice wasn't even _female_. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he turned and faced the one who addressed him.

"Twister?"

Standing across from the boy in the sunglasses was none other than his best bro, who seemed to have a look that was a mix of extreme cowardice and utter confusion. Like Otto, he had his own letter clutched in his right hand.

"What are _you_ doing here?" They both questioned.

Twister shook slightly as he gulped. What if the one in front of him somehow heard about Reggie's letter? What if Otto decided to fight him to keep him from dating the elder Rocket? He began to sweat. He didn't want to lose his friendship with the shorter redhead over something as insignificant as this.

Otto, meanwhile, had a quizzical look on him. What happened to Clio? And what's _Twister_ doing here? Did he somehow hear about the letter? Did he have something against him dating his cousin? But why? And if that was the case, why wasn't _Lars_ there too? Otto gulped. He didn't want to fight the taller redhead.

They both remained standing there for a few moments when a sudden, but very interesting question came to mind.

If, according to each other, the one standing opposite them didn't want the other to be with their sister/cousin, where exactly were the girls in question? One would think that if both boys objected to the other's falling in love with their respective relatives, the girls they wanted would be present, trying to convince said boys that they really wanted to be with them.

Confusing, ain't it? For those whose brains were fried by that little food for thought, let's simplify things a bit. The question is if Otto/Twister were present, supposedly ready to fight the other to defend the honor of Reggie/Clio, where the hell was the females in the equation? Needless to say, anybody not part of this strange turn of events would be wondering why they weren't trying to stop the two redheads from starting World War III!

Unless…

The two redheads' eyes widened in disbelief as they considered another possibility.

'_Did he—_'

They pointed at each other, a tinge of pink forming on their faces.

"Did you—"

"Pahahahahahahahahaha!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Lars roared with laughter as he jumped from his hiding place, making himself known. "April Fools! I _knew_ ya dorks woulda fell for it! I wrote those bogus love letters! Like his—" He pointed at Otto. "—sister and our cousin would _really_ wanna be with you twerps!" He held his sides as he continued chortling.

Unknown to him, however, Otto and Twister weren't paying any attention. Instead, they remained looking at each other in total disbelief.

'_No way! **Twister** wrote this!.?_' The former thought, holding up the letter. '_I thought for sure Clio was the one who wrote it._'

He then gasped as he realized something.

'_That crush I had after I knew me and Clio would never work out…_'

He closed his eyes as he remembered that faithful summer three years ago. He was surfing with his sister, his best bro, and the Squid in the Secret Spot. On the nearby beach, several tents were set up around a circle of rocks; a sure sign that they were to spend the night there. The waves were especially huge that day. This was due of course to a great south swell miles off the coast.

"Whoo hoo!.!.!" Otto cheered as he paddled back to his friends and sister. "Did you see that rad move?.! I got mad air from that last wave!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Reggie sighed, rolling her eyes. Sam also gave the same reaction. Normally they were used to the younger Rocket's banter after pulling off a sweet trick, but today, he was especially annoying.

"Pfft, you're just jealous of my mad skills, so I don't mind." The redhead grunted, turning away with his arms crossed.

"Whatever." His sister retorted, again rolling her eyes. "So who's up next?"

"I am!" Twister declared, paddling forward. "I'm gonna own this wave!"

But before he could even turn himself around to catch the next wave, he was slammed by a massive thirty footer!

"TWISTER!.!.!" The rest of the group gasped in horror as both he and his surfboard disappeared into the mist created by the wave.

The cameraman of the group was pounded so hard by the wave that he was forced into a spin cycle as he was pushed all the way back to the shore. His head was dragged along the sandy bottom as he struggled both to get his head above water and stay conscious. It was no use though. When he was a few feet from shore, he hit his head on a rock. Being propelled by the incredibly strong wave, he was knocked out almost instantly.

When he washed up on shore, his head was buried in the sand. His board was over three fourths destroyed. What was left of it was tied to his leg by its leash. The rest of the pieces were scattered around his body, which wasn't moving at all.

Fueled by pure adrenaline, Otto, Reggie, and Sam swam back to shore and ran up to Twister. Being frightful for his safety and health, the trio crowded around him, debating what to do with their friend.

"Quiet!.!.!" The blond shouted, stopping the frantic siblings. "Give him room to breathe! I need to perform CPR!"

Doing as he said, Otto and Reggie stood back. Sam knelt by Twister and turned him so that he was lying on his back. Remembering his training as a junior lifeguard, he tilted the capped boy's head back. Then to the shorter Rocket's shock, Sam parted Twister's lips, took a deep breath, and exhaled into his mouth. He repeated this once more before backing away. He then brought his hands together, one on top of the other, and put them over Twister's stomach. He then pushed firmly to try to get him breathing again.

As the blond continued the procedure, Otto couldn't help but feel jealous. Watching him put his lips and hands on his best bro over and over again made him shake with envy-induced anger. Lifeguard or not, Sam had no right to just do _that_ to Twister! The dreadlocked one shook his fists at his sides as a slight glower crept onto his face. He was soon growling when he realized what he was thinking.

'_Woah! What was **that** all about!.?_' He thought, relaxing himself. '_Sam's only trying to save Twist's life, not take advantage of him!_'

He then blushed, thinking that over.

'_Do I…like Twister…?_' He paled at the very thought. '_N-n-n-no way! I don't like him **that** way! …Right?_'

He blinked when he heard a string of coughs followed by a sputter that sounded kind of like, "Ewwwww!.!.! Got offa me, Squid!" Twister had regained conciousness. Sighing with relief, Reggie ran over and put a hand on his shoulder to make sure he was alright. Once again, jealousy stirred in Otto's heart as he watched his sister practically mother his best friend almost as if they were _together_! He recoiled at the thought when he gasped, his eyes widening as he realized the truth.

'_I…I have a crush…on **Twister**!_' He felt a smile creep onto his face as he stepped towards his ailing friend. '_I…I really, really like him… more than a friend…_'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As present-day Otto smiled at his trip into the past, Twister was grinning, lost in his own flashback.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was later that night. The gang was sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows. Being too tired from that day's near death experience to change into something warm, Twister was wrapped in a warm blanket. The others were in their normal clothes as they chatted and shared jokes, as well as the occasional ghost story.

As he sat there, listening to the others talk, he couldn't help but glance at his best friend, who was sitting next to him. He turned back to the fire and stared into it.

'_Man… I almost bit the big one today…_' He thought, sighing inwardly. '_Good thing Sam knew that stuff from being doing all that junior lifeguard training. If I really **did** drown, I wouldn't have been able to tell everybody good bye. Mom, Dad, Reggie, Squid. Even Lars. And then there's…_'

He again chanced a glance at Otto. He blinked when the shorter redhead hurriedly turned back to the fire. Twister blinked. He had just caught his best bro staring at him. It was almost as if…

He shook his head. It must've been his imagination. There's no way Otto felt the same way as he did. But still… The shorter redhead was sitting a little _too_ close to be friendly… Twister blushed.

'_Maybe there'll be a chance for us._' He looked up at the full moon and sighed. '_Someday…_'

He looked down and blinked when he heard snoring. Everybody was asleep. He sat there confused for a few seconds before shrugging. It seemed that the excitement of today's little experience finally got to them. He yawned as he leaned back against the log he was sitting in front of. He slowly closed his eyes shut.

'_Well… Guess I better get some shut—_'

His eyes shot open when he felt a weight on his right shoulder. He looked and felt his cheeks becoming a dark red when he saw Otto leaning against him. He stared at the boy longingly. The light of the fire really enhanced his features, giving him an almost spiritual look.

Cracking a small grin, Twister leaned against his head. He sighed happily as he felt the warmth of Otto's body against his own. It gave him a peaceful, serene feeling. Soon, he gave a yawn. He tried to fight his fatigue, but it was no use. Soon, his eyes drifted to a close and he was claimed by dreams of his crush.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Both boys opened their eyes and found themselves back in the middle of the gym. Lars was still laughing up a storm. Both Otto and Twister looked at each other, then the letters in their hands, then each other again.

'_Wow… So he really loves me?_' The shorter of the two thought. He read over the letter for quite possibly the thousandth time that day. '_But why was it done in pink ink and Clio's handwriting? Why did he act so secretive about it?_'

'_I don't believe this! Otto loves me!_' Twister cheered inwardly. '_I thought for sure he would **never** like me that way so I just gave up! But now he loves me! I'm so happy!_'

He was considering jumping around in jubilation when a thought came to him. He looked over the letter again.

'_How come he wrote it with Reggie's handwriting though? Couldn't he have told me face to face?_'

They both blinked in understanding.

'_Ohhhhhh… I get it now!_'

'_He wrote it using Clio's handwriting and a pink pen so that I won't be grossed out!_' Otto nodded at his deduction.

'_He wrote the letter like Reggie does because he thought I woulda been majorly freaked out!_' Twister nodded at his own thoughts.

They both looked at each other's letter, admiring what the other said about them, when they blinked, realizing there was one more thing left to do. They looked up into each other's eyes and walked towards each other. They stopped a few paces away from each other.

"Twist," Otto started. "I-I-I just wanted to say that I…" He blushed and looked the other way. "You know…"

"Y-y-yeah…" Twister nodded, his own blush forming. "I-I-I l-l-l…" He too turned away. "Ya know…"

They turned towards each other again.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. On the count of three, we'll say it together, alright?"

Twister nodded. "Fine with me."

The two redheads took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to say what they wanted to say for the last few years. Lars had long since stopped laughing as he watched the exchange with confusion etched on his face.

"One…" Otto started.

"Two…" Twister continued.

Both of them gulped. It was now or never. They closed their eyes as their faces got as red as humanly possible.

"Three! I love you!.!.!"

Lars gasped as those three words hung in the air. They echoed in the minds of all present. Neither of them could believe their ears. Otto and Twister, the two raddest extreme sports enthusiasts in Ocean Shores, just declared their love for each other. Both redheads cracked open an eye to find the other looking back at the other. They opened the other eye and smiled, knowing that their crush hadn't run away screaming.

Feeling brave, Otto walked those last few steps and brought his arms around Twister's waist. The taller boy stood there, enjoying the feeling of his love embracing him. It took a few moments before his brain reentered his head and he returned the hug. He bent forward and closed his eyes as he leaned his head against Otto's. They then parted and looked into each other's eyes, seeing the care, support, and warmth they both shared for each other.

Without thinking twice, Otto brought a hand up and cupped Twister's left cheek. The capped boy kept his stare on his new boyfriend as he leaned into the touch. Both of their eyes once again drifted to a close as they inched closer and closer until their lips connected in a passionate kiss.

Unbeknownst to the new couple, a dozen clicks a minute were heard as they kept their contact up for as long as possible. Lars, being not even five feet away from the scene, felt his jaw literally hit the ground as soon as the two kissed. Seconds later, his eyes bulged in shock when he noticed Twister returning the kiss and running his hands all over Otto's body. The clicking continued with a rapid fervor as Otto felt all over the taller boy.

Lars felt a slight blush come to his face as both boys stepped back from each other and maintained the kiss as they unzipped each other's shorts and reached inside. The mysterious clicking was going at such a speed that it seemed like a million crickets entered the gym and began singing of their praises for the newly formed relationship.

Eventually, but not before Lars could start crying in defeat, the lovers broke the kiss and panted as they looked at each other with a look of slight (only _slight_, mind you!) fatigue and wild, untamed lust. Unaware of the senior's wails, they embraced again.

"So…Twist…" Otto breathed, reaching into his pocket. "You wanted to see me without my shorts on?"

He pulled his hand out to reveal a small, plastic packet. Twister felt a strong blush when he realized what the object was. He quickly got over his surprise as he smirked devilishly.

"Oh you know I do." He purred, nodding. "So you think my body's hot?"

"Whaddya think?" Otto answered, pulling him in for another kiss. When they separated, he started pulling the other boy in the direction of the locker room. Otto opened the door for Twister, who giggled as he stepped inside. The shorter redhead, grinning from ear to ear, practically tore off his shirt before dashing inside.

"I…I don't believe it…" Lars uttered, hugging himself frightfully. "A-a-a-all this time… Th-th-they were…"

He had a pale, disbelieving look as he realized what just transpired and what was undoubtedly going on in that locker room! His pupils shrank to nothing when he realized that he caused all this to happen just because he wanted to prank the two dorks. He certainly didn't intend for _that_ to happen.

"Yes!.!.!" A new voice cheered. "I can't believe how lucky I am!"

With a distant, faraway look on his face, the brunet turned to find Izzy, who was dancing around, holding a small object in his hands. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a digital camera. A small sack was at his feet.

"Not only do I finally have Blondie right where I want him, but I actually got a whole memory card filled with pictures of two guys getting together!"

Regaining his senses and blinking strangely, Lars walked up to the joyful teen.

"Let me get this straight, you took _pictures_ of Rocket Dork and my brother confessing and _making out_?" He asked weirdly.

"Yep!.!.!" Izzy shouted with a grin so big, you'd think he was Iggy's taller and eviler twin. "They don't call me and Iggy the Yaoi Brothers for nothing! I can't believe what a lucky find this was!"

"Good for you… As for me, I'm gonna go home and take a nice long look at my life." The older boy said, slumping away.

The boy in the blue hat looked after him for a few moments before looking at the sack and then at the camera. That was when he nodded, deciding on a plan.

"Hey! Wait up!" He said, running up to Lars.

"What is it?" The taller brunet grunted.

"Since your prank apparently backfired, I was wondering if you wanted to join in on _mine_." Izzy flicked his thumb behind him at the gym's south exit, which led outside. "I got Blondie tied up and me and Iggy are gonna have a little fun." He snickered as he held up the sack and camera. "Whaddya say?"

Lars gave him an evil smirk. "I say lead the way! I need a release after _that_ little performance."

"Right this way." The younger dark one said, walking towards the south exit.


	5. Epilogue

Día de los Inocentes

Epilogue

Last-minute Love Affairs

When they reached the tree that Sam was hanging from, the two pranksters found that the blond was no longer wearing either his shirt or his shoes. The aforementioned articles of clothing were lying in a neat pile at the base of the tree. The blond was completely red in the face when he noticed his rival and Lars looking at him. Of course, it was hard to tell if he was red because he was blushing or because all the blood went to his head.

Izzy held his chin as he looked around.

"That's weird…" He scratched his head. "Where'd Iggy go?" He shrugged and turned to Lars. "Anyway, I guess since my brother decided to leave for whatever reason, _we_ get to have Blondie all to ourselves."

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no problem…" The other brunet replied, gulping as he became as red as Sam was. He felt his mind go blank as he stood there; staring at the blond in what looked like…_admiration_?.?.?

'_Woah… I had no idea Squid looked so…beautiful in just a pair of jeans…_' He thought, drooling slightly.

"_Helloooooooo_ Earth to Lars!" Izzy shouted, bringing him back to the task at hand.

"Uhhhhh wha…?" Lars sputtered, shaking his head as he tried to retain his evil persona. He crossed his arms at Izzy. "Let's do this already!"

"Hmph, that's better. Now then." The junior turned to Sam. "It's time for you to pay for what you put me through today."

He reached into the bag and pulled out two tiny objects. Sam gasped in horror when he realized what they were.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, but I would." His rival smirked devilishly, waving two feathers in his hand. "Hope you're in the mood for some laughs. Because you're gonna laugh until you faint! Muahahahahahaha!.!.!"

Sam shuddered in fright as Izzy handed one of the feathers to Lars, who snickered. He wiggled in a desperate, but futile attempt to get free as the mischievous boys drew closer and closer, grinning madly. They were within arm's length when…

"So then I said to the garbage man, 'Donkey Kong? Whew! You must mean Funky Kong!'" A familiar voice said.

"Oh man, Iggy that was so funny!" A certain female's voice laughed.

"Why thank you, my dear Reggie-Poo!"

"**BUH!.?.!**" Lars, Sam, and Izzy said in extreme shock as they looked to their left.

All three of them felt their eyes grow to twenty times their normal size when they saw Reggie and Iggy leaving the school. This wouldn't have been so much of a shock had it not been for the fact that the younger Lopez Brother was embracing the purple haired girl lovingly! And worse yet, Reggie was hugging him BACK! The junior had a smile on her face while the freshman had the toothiest grin on his.

The two brunets and the blond stared after them, mouths agape for not even a second before Izzy dashed towards them. Taking this as the perfect opportunity, Lars turned to Sam.

"You know, Squid, you look kinda cute hanging like that." He commented, smirking as the blond tried to hide his blush. "Don't be embarrassed, it's the truth. In fact…" He looked at Izzy, who was busy telling off his brother and turned back to Sam. "If you promise to do me a favor, I'll cut you down."

"Name it!" The junior shouted desperately.

"Go out on a date with me." Lars said simply, grinning. Sam grinned back, though _his_ was a little sneaky.

"Oh, I'll do better than that."

"Heh, heh, heh…" The elder Rodriguez brother snickered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a switchblade knife. He then turned to the camera.

'_Hey, if that twerpy brother of mine can get with Rocket Dork, there's no reason why **I** can't have a little fun, right?_'

With that, he grabbed the rope holding Sam with one hand. With the other, he pressed the button on the knife, making the blade spring out. He then applied it to the rope. After a few seconds of cutting, the rope snapped, sending the blond falling to the ground with a small yelp. He landed with a thud.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Oh I don't _believe_ this!" Izzy shouted at Iggy, who was clinging to Reggie for dear life. "How on earth did _you_ two hook up!.?"

Iggy looked up at his companion, who nodded. He turned back to his brother, who had his arms crossed impatiently.

"Ok, here's what happened."

°°Flashback°°

_The water fountain in the boy's bathroom was heard, as well as several grunts, moans, and words like "Darn it!" and "What the heck?.!" This pattern of sounds continued for awhile before a voice said, "Oh forget this!" Then, the sounds of something being unzipped, clothes falling, something getting zipped up, and plastic were heard before the door was opened to reveal Iggy, whose clothes were strangely no longer covered with the yellow paint he used to help Izzy trap Sam. He was holding a plastic bag in his hand._

_"Aaaaaahhhhh…" He sighed contently before giving the camera a peace sign and a cheesy grin. "Being Izzy's little brother, I know how important it is to **always** be prepared! That's why I always keep an extra change of clothes here just in case things get messy! Now to get back to Sammy-Sam."_

_He then whistled a happy tune as he started walking down the hall. When he turned a corner, he saw a welcome sight. _

_Reggie._

_He grinned toothily and got ready to give his traditional greeting, which was generally a loud scream, when he noticed that the older girl was distraught about something. She was standing in a four-way crossroad, looking down all the different halls. It seemed to the little boy that she was searching for someone. _

_Wanting to help her, and to make up for the prank he pulled earlier today, he walked up to her._

_"Hiya, Reggie-Poo!"__ He called with a cheerful wave. "Are you looking for someone?"_

_"Huh?" The taller girl looked down and noticed him. "Oh, hey there, Iggy. Yeah, I'm looking for my friends. Have you seen 'em?"_

_"Hmmmm…" Iggy put a finger to his chin. "Well, I have no clue where Mr. Knuckles-wannabe and Twisty-Twist are, but Sammy-Sam is…**tied up** right now." He snickered at the pun. Reggie rolled her eyes at that._

_"Let me guess, your brother finally got him?"_

_"Uh-huh!" He nodded. "It took him forever to get him **this** year, huh?"_

_"Yeah."__ She agreed. "Izzy's not gonna hurt him, is he?"_

_"Nah, don't worry about it, Reggie-Poo."__ Iggy waved a dismissive hand. "He's not gonna hurt your boyfriend at all. In fact, he's gonna have a **ton of laughs**!" He chuckled. Reggie sweatdropped._

_"Sam's not my boyfriend, Iggy."__ She then looked around. Not seeing anybody around, she motioned for the freshman to come closer. "Don't tell anybody this, **especially** Izzy, but Sam's gay, alright?"_

_Iggy's eyes brightened at that._

_"For real!.? That's so cool! I never knew that!" He cheered. "So does he have a crush on anybody?"_

_"Shhhhh! Keep it down!" She hissed. "Nobody's supposed to know, remember!.?"_

_"Oops!" He covered his mouth. "Sorry. But you know me and Izzy are also known as the Yaoi Brothers. When we hear something like that, we just go crazy."_

_"Ugh… I forgot about that…" Reggie groaned, slapping her forehead. "Anyway, as strange as it is, he likes Lars."_

_Iggy raised an eyebrow. "**Him!.?** There's no way **he's**…" He looked around before whispering. "Like that…"_

_"Yeah…" She sighed before groaning. "Ugh! What am I gonna do?.! Otto and Twist have been going nuts **all** **day** and suddenly disappeared and your brother has Sam in another one of his traps! We were gonna go to the Shack for a milkshake and then go to the movies to see Chao in Space! Now there's nobody to go with. The whole day's ruined…"_

_"Chao in Space?"__ Iggy grinned. He's wanted to see that movie since forever! But Izzy wouldn't take him to see it… He looked down, seeing Reggie slump off to probably spend a boring afternoon at home. That was when his head shot up. It seemed like he got an idea._

_"Hey, Reggie-Poo!"__ He called, running up to her. Reggie stopped and turned to him._

_"Yeah?__ What is it?"_

_She sweatdropped when she saw the boy blushing and looking down. He was shifting his feet as he stuttered to talk._

_"W-w-w-w-well…i-i-if ya w-w-w-w-want…**I** c-c-c-can…g-g-g-go with you a-a-a-a-a-and…"_

_As Iggy, sweating in sheets, tried to finish his suggestion, Reggie knew exactly what he was trying to say. She held her chin as she thought it over. It actually didn't sound like too bad an idea. After all, as she already said, Otto and Twister were nowhere to be found and Izzy had Sam in his clutches. She had no one else to go with and she didn't feel like being bored at home while waiting for Otto and the guys to show up. _

_Besides, she **did** find Iggy kind of cute, in a crazy, mixed up, misunderstood sort of way. She found just about everything about him adorable and sweet. She never knew. Maybe once she got to know him, he could be pretty fun to hang around with. Of course, they'd be going as friends—or rather acquaintances since they only ever see each other when Izzy is pulling something against Sam—but that doesn't mean she couldn't give him a kiss or a hug. After all, they were within their legal rights, at least for a few months, anyway._

_"S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-so… Wh-wh-wh-wh-whaddya s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-say…?" Iggy trembled, finishing his proposition._

_"I say let's go. My treat." Reggie replied, holding her hand out. The younger Lopez Brother gaped at her._

_"Y-y-y-y-y-y-you said yes…"_

_"Yeah, I know." She took his hand and squeezed, causing him to go red in the face. "C'mon. The movie starts at five. That gives us plenty of time to eat and maybe even get to know each other a little better." She winked at him, making hearts appear in his eyes as he was dragged along._

°°End Flashback°°

"And that's what happened." Iggy finished. Izzy gave him an incredulous look before glancing at Reggie.

"Is this true?" He asked. The purple haired girl nodded.

"Every single word."

The brunet's mouth hit the ground as he tried to figure just _how_ someone like _Reggie Rocket_ could pick _Iggy_ over _him_! He paled and felt all logic leave him when he witnessed the girl pick up his brother and _kiss_ him square on the nose. He stood stock frozen as she put down Iggy, who was blushing madly and giggling like a fool.

"Uhhhhh… H-h-h-h-h-have a good t-t-t-t-t-time?" He said slowly.

"Thanks! We will!" The new couple said, walking off together. Izzy sighed and looked down as he turned and walked towards Sam.

"It's not fair…" He sniffled. "Everybody's getting with somebody but me…" He shrugged. "Oh well. At least I get my consolation prize!"

He reached the tree and looked up.

"Alright Blondie! Get ready to—WHAT THE HELL!.?.!.?.!"

He gasped when he saw Lars and Sam vigorously making out on the ground. The blond moaned in sweet pleasure as the brunet's hands rubbed all over his naked back. Lars was enjoying himself greatly as he tasted Sam's mouth. The connection of their lips created a beautiful contrast of light and dark. Izzy's eyebrow twitched as he held his camera up to his eyes. Before he could take a picture, however, he pulled it down.

"What am I doing?.! I can't take a picture of _Blondie_!"

He held up the camera.

"But they're making out!"

He put it down.

"So!.?"

He pulled it up.

"But I'm one of the Yaoi Brothers. I _gotta_ take a picture of this!"

He put it down.

"I am _not_ taking a picture of my rival!"

He held it up.

"Oh yes I am!"

He put it down.

"Oh no I'm not!"

This pattern continued for about a minute before Izzy finally dropped the camera and pulled out his mallet. He then proceeded to whack himself repeatedly over the head as he laughed insanely.

Let this story serve as a lesson for any pranksters out there (or anybody, for that matter). When you screw around with love, _especially_ gay love, you're gonna get burned.

**THE END**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-story Conversation

The scene opened inside the temple Izzy, Iggy, and I were standing around. The elder Lopez Brother was glaring at me while the younger one was sighing with relief.

"Oh thank God it wasn't true…" Iggy said, wiping his sweating forehead.

"WHAT THE HELL!.?.!" Izzy roared at me. His voice bounced off the walls. "Ya said ya weren't gonna write another stupid slash fic!.!.! What was Otto and Twister doing making out then!.?.! Hell, for that matter, where'd Sam/Lars come from!.?.!"

"See Izzy, here's the thing. Día de los Inocentes is Spanish for 'Day of the Innocents,' or as we commonly know it—" I snapped my fingers, causing a bullhorn to appear in my hands. I turned it on and held it up to Izzy's ear. "—**_APRIL FOOLS DAY!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_**"

He gaped at me in disbelief. "Y-y-y-y-you mean this was all an _April Fools joke_!.?.!"

"Yep!" I grinned before laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.! Oh man! You should've seen the—HAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!—looks on your—HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!—faces! It was priceless!"

"Ohhhh… I get it…" Iggy said chuckling. "Today's April first and you made up that whole announcement to trick everybody. YAY!.!.! Daddy was lying the whole time!.!.!" He held his sides as he joined in the laughing.

Izzy, meanwhile, was seething. Steam literally came out of his ears as a background of fire and brimstone appeared behind him.

"But what about never writing another slash fic!.?.! You said you were gonna start pairing up Reggie and Twister!.!.!"

"Oh please!" I scoffed, ending my laughing fit. I crossed my arms. "You above all people shoulda known I was lying right from the get go. You know damn well that I would never dare to write let alone _read_—except for that one fic by Silent Whisper—a fic involving that pairing!.!.! I hate, despise, and let's not forget absolutely _loath_ that horrid coupling!.!.!"

"Then why lie, Daddy?" Iggy asked.

"Holiday spirit?" I offered with a shrug. "Besides, I wanted to write this fic to get back at that accursed silver author!" I grunted as I turned away, crossing my arms indignantly. "Hmph! She thinks that just because she happens to have the most chapters written in a RP fic—for the moment, mind you!.!.!—" I shook a fist at the camera before turning back to the brothers. "—she could belittle other people's opinions! Just who does she think she is calling _me_ of all people rude? It's as if what I think doesn't count."

"That mean person."

"Hmph! Whaddya expect from someone that has that little yellow rat as part of their pen name?" Izzy remarked, rolling his eyes. He sighed. "Guess that means we're still doing slash fics, huh?"

"Yep!.!.!" Iggy and I cheered. "We'll keep doing slash fics forever and forever 'cause it's so much fun!.!.!"

"Ugh…" The older brother groaned. "Well, ya still didn't answer my question. What were you doing pairing _him_ up with Lars!.?.!"

I shrugged. "Think about it. Otto had already gotten with Twister, so who was Lars gonna wind up with?"

"But _Blondie_!.?"

"Well, ya gotta admit, they look kinda cute together. Not as cute as Sam does with Twister, mind you, but Lars is a close second."

"Hey, that's another thing, Daddy." Iggy said. "Didn't you say that Twister, Otto, and Lars had crushes on girls or girlfriends at one point or another?"

"Hey that's right!" Izzy agreed. "The fact that they got with guys at the end makes no sense if they were crushing on girls!"

"Boys, boys! There's a little word known as _bisexuality_!" I retorted. "All three of them were bi, therefore meaning that they could've gotten with anybody, male or female!"

"Ohhhhhhh…" Both brothers nodded.

"So anyway, I guess we'll wrap things up for today." I said turning to the camera. "For now, I'm Prince Izzy!"

"And I'm Izzy." The elder sibling grunted, crossing his arms.

"And I'm Iggy!" The younger one waved crazily.

"See ya!.!.!" We all shouted.


End file.
